Slices and Scars
by xSucksToYourAss-marx
Summary: *After the Island* Ralph feels that he is alone in the world, and when put into a boarding school, he can't cope with other boys. But what happens when Jack goes to the same school? Could Ralph's enemy, really be his sancuary? Jack/Ralph slash  COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay here's another Jack and Ralph after the island fiction! (Wait didn't you just finish another story?) Yes! But, I just really wanted to write this one down! Anyway, I hope you like this, and reviews would be nice!**

**Slices and Scars**

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[The Glasses]**

The fair boy watched his mother slowly pull out of the luxurious drive way. Her disappearing car faded into the horizon, and the fair boy turned around nervously facing the large prestigious Catholic School. St. Peter's Holy Angels was a boarding school, it had a great reputation and the students were said to be the most responsible in England. Despite these things, the fair boy tugged at his long sleeves anxiously, waiting with his luggage on the freshly cut grass.

"Ralph Merus?" Ralph flinched and turned around quickly. A petite elderly woman smiled at him when she saw his surprised eyes. He was a jumpy one alright, just like his mother had warned. The woman put a shriveled hand on Ralph's suitcase. "Welcome to St. Peter's Holy Angels Academy for Boys. You can call me Angie…I'll be leading you to your room." Ralph quickly smiled best he could and pulled the suitcase closer to himself.

"My mother told me that I don't have to share a room, is that correct?" Ralph lifted his bag and patiently followed the slow woman up a stone walkway that lead into the elegant front doors of the gothic building. He kept his head on the ground, avoiding gazes of curious savages—boys. He meant boys.

"Yes, not to worry, your mum made it very clear that you were to be roomed alone." Ralph let out a quiet sigh of relief. "May I ask you why you don't want a roommate?" Angie asked, holding open the big wooden door as Ralph lugged in with all of his things.

"I sleep talk, a horrible habit really." The blonde tugged absently at his long sleeves as he waited for Angie to start leading the way again. His voice was full of sincerity, after the four years away from the island; he had gotten quite good at lying about certain things.

"We all have our bad habits dear." Angie cackled and preceded Ralph to follow her down the halls.

The halls were lit dimly; most of the light that entered was from the large stain glass windows that lined the place. Almost everything was wood, except of course for awards or artwork that hung against the stone walls. There were various classrooms with signs on the doors and a crucifix every twenty feet. Ralph bit at his lower lip as other boys passed him.

The blonde had been homeschooled ever since he got back. He refused to go back to school even though none of the boys went to the same school as he. Ralph could barely look at people the same way he used to. He could see the shadows deep in their beings, and no matter how hard Ralph tried, he couldn't shut his eyes and make the shadows go away. He almost knocked into Angie as she bustled to a stop in front of an old wooden door.

"Here is room 203. The rooms don't lock for security reasons so you don't need a key." The thought of open doors at night frightened Ralph a little bit, but he stood silent. "Everything you need should be on the desk awaiting you; such as a school map and your schedule. Hm…" Angie tapped a wrinkled finger against her chin. "What else was there…oh yes! Later today a student will be taking you around the school and introducing you to everyone." She hugged Ralph gingerly. "I hope you have a great experience here Ralph Merus."

"Just Ralph is okay." The fair boy smiled politely and opened the door, shoving his suitcase inside.

"But, Merus is such a nice last name. You know it means pure in Latin. You must be a very pure boy."

_There is no such thing as a pure human being. _"Yes," Ralph awkwardly tugged at his sleeves, "Th-thank you." He watched Angie bow her head in a well-mannered goodbye and scoot down the hallway. Ralph quickly stepped into his new bedroom and closed the door behind him.

The room looked about as old manner as the hallways. There was a small twin bed in the far corner with a wooden night table. Right next to the door was an elegant oak desk with a stack of papers lying neatly in the center. There was a small closet at the end of the bed where he would put his clothes and find his uniform.

Ralph slid the closet door open and saw two white polo shirts, a red tie with a small golden cross, and navy blue pants. The fair boy frowned; it was a rather ugly uniform. Ralph examined the polo shirts and picked up the short sleeved individual. He crumpled the shirt and threw it under his bed. He couldn't wear t-shirts anymore.

The blonde walked over to his suitcase and rummaged through the meaningless belongings and clothes. Finally he reached a small pouch and gingerly lifted it up. Ralph sat down on the hard mattress and carefully took Piggy's specs out of the pouch. He affectionately placed them on the nightstand next to his bed. Ralph didn't trust anyone to sleep in the same room with him; no one, except Piggy. He stared at the specs silently, playing with the ends of his sleeves. He remembered everything about the day they got rescued.

_Ralph stood on the deck of the boat silently. His eyes stayed on the ocean, though the island was far from sight now. Most of the boys had quietly gone off to find some sort of food, but Ralph remained. Tears fell freely over his cheeks now, as if the severity of what really happened on the island had finally hit him. Ralph heard shy feet creep on the deck behind him. The fair boy turned around at once. _

_ He was repulsed at the thin figure of Jack Merridew. The boy was dirty and naked except for a pair of fringy shorts. His eyes were red and puffy, like he had been crying. _Good, _Ralph thought, _let him cry.

_ Jack walked to the rail and stood next to Ralph quietly. He watched the ocean, and all the arrogance and confidence were washed from his eyes. However, there still wasn't regret, and for that, Ralph hated Jack Merridew. _

_ Ralph's gaze drifted down to Jack's waist band and focused on Piggy's specs. They were cracked in one eye and cakes with dirt on the other. _

_ "Jack," Ralph murmured, in the most civilized tone possible. The red head flinched at the sound of his name. "Jack, those are Piggy's specs." Ralph reached out to grab them, but Jack shuffled back. The fair boy glared at him. "I ought to have those. You don't need them anymore." _

_ "You can't just go grabbing things from people." Jack spat, any hint of sadness from the boy was replaced with anger. "These are mine now." _

_ "No they're not! Piggy never gave his specs to you! You took them!" _

_ "Shut up-"_

_ "You took them without asking!" _

_ "Shut up." _

_ "And when we went to get his specs back you killed Piggy!" _

_ "Shut up!" _

_ "You killed him, and if he was going to give his specs to anyone it would be me!" _

_ "Fine!" Jack hissed, wrenching the fragile glasses from his waist band. "You want them so bad, you can have them!" Jack threw the specs onto the ground and the second eye glass shattered. Ralph bent down and picked them up delicately. He watched the red head stomp out of sight, and that was the last time he saw Jack Merridew. _

"Thief." Ralph growled underneath his breath. He ran his hand through his blonde hair. Ralph kept his hair shorter, but it still hung in his face when it got messed up. A knock brought him back to reality, and Ralph shakily walked to the door. _There's nothing to be afraid of_, Ralph yelled at himself angrily, _just relax. _

The blonde opened the heavy wooden door. Ralph's golden eyes widened, and his body became stiff; he was unable to move. Shock had him in its grip. Before Ralph stood a tall lean boy cloaked in a long flowing robe of black. Wild red hair exploded from under a black flat cap, and piercing blue eyes stared at Ralph in mirrored shock. The boy flushed, and faded freckled shown more clearly.

"R-Ralph?" said Jack Merridew in a choked voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter Two. Oh and, as to not create any confusion, this is NOT a sequel to Fair Addiction. Anyway, this chapter is written a bit sloppy, and I'm sorry, I'll probably repost it later, but I really wanted to put this up. Anyway, I wanted to make Jack's character a little different from what it is in most fan fictions, which is the I-don't-care-about-what-happened-on-the-island-and-want-to-continue-the-hunt type (Not that I'm saying that's bad! I actually like that; I just wanted to go for something different. That's all! Please review if you liked it! And if you didn't like it…I'm sorry D:! **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies.**

**[They Call Me Merridew] **

Ralph shuffled back into his room, hoping the plain walls would swallow him up, and protect him from the savage that stood before him. It didn't matter if Jack's blue eyes swelled with sympathy when he saw Ralph's terrified state. It didn't matter if he tried to murmur 'it's okay' over and over again. _He's a murder. _Ralph felt the thick wood of the bed frame hit the back of his knees, and the fair boy awkwardly fell over the twin bed. His head smashed against the wall. _He's finally come for me! _

Ralph had had dreams that followed this format before. Why, his mother had even sent him away to a mental institute for them! But, guessing by the pain buzzing in the back of Ralph's head, this was real. He watched with large eyes as Jack advanced on him. Ralph squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

"Ralph."

Ralph slowly opened his eyes and was surprised at their proximity. Jack's face was a mere foot away from his own and his blue eyes were watching Ralph concernedly. He glanced down at a pale freckled hand reaching out politely to aid him back to his feet. Ralph cleared his throat, embarrassed, and hesitantly took the red heads hand. Jack pulled him up with startling strength.

"Why are you here?" Ralph mumbled, pulling at his sleeves. Jack was silently staring at Ralph, and the blonde rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. It seemed like hours past before Jack opened his mouth to speak.

"Ralph…I-I'm so sorry I-"

"Why are you here?" Ralph asked again. He didn't want Jack's apologies, he wanted Jack to leave.

"I was sent here." The choir boy said, clearing his throat. "I show all of the new students around." Jack said proudly. He looked Ralph up and down once more. His slender hand reached out toward Ralph and the blonde flinched, throwing a glare in his direction.Ralph tried desperately to read Jack's thoughts, but his icy eyes didn't slip once. "I'm not the same anymore." The angelic voice cut the silence like a blade. "I swear Ralph."

Ralph played with the frayed ends of his sleeves. Not for one second did he believe a thing Jack Merridew was saying to him. "Can you just…show me around now please?" He asked, horrified when his voice cracked unevenly. He just wanted his encounter with the red head to end. For the rest of the year, he would avoid Jack Merridew and finally get over himself. Ralph sighed, trying to believe his new made plans would work.

"Yes, follow me." Jack said, turning on his heel; his black cape floated gracefully behind him. Ralph shyly walked after him, shutting the door quietly. The halls were relatively empty, and Ralph blew out a sigh of relief. There were a few boys in similar black capes and they nodded vaguely at Jack, recognizing the red head with respect.

"Do the others go here as well?" Ralph asked quietly. His question was only referring to one choir boy: Roger. The rest didn't really matter to Ralph; in fact, he barely bothered to remember their names.

"Yes. Most of them. But after the…the island, Roger never came back to school." Ralph nodded at Jack's response. The blonde was guilty as he felt relief sooth his body. One murderer was bad enough.

"I see."

"We're heading for the church by the way. It's where we go every Wednesday and Sunday at seven am." Ralph noted the dozens of crucifixes hanging around them. He felt as though Christ was glaring at him, damning him to hell. Ralph flushed and focused on Jack's cape. The blonde felt like Simon's blood was sticky and fresh underneath his fingernails.

"Jack, what are these rooms here?" Ralph asked, glancing at the multiple doorways lining the stone walls. Jack didn't turn around, and kept walking as if Ralph hadn't of spoken. "Jack." He said again. "Jack!" The choir boy glanced back at Ralph like he was a loon, and then awkwardly grinned at him.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"What are these rooms?" Ralph said hotly, losing his patience.

"Oh right. The classrooms leading up to the church are all mathematics."

A boy dressed in the ridiculous choir uniform ran toward Jack and Ralph with an excited grin plastered onto his face. He pounded Jack in the shoulder and said cheerily, "Hey Merridew, you'll never guess what-" The boy trailed off and acknowledged Ralph curiously. "New kid?" asked the savage—boy. God, he did it again, putting war paint on every single human he saw.

"Yes, Jack's showing me around." Ralph murmured shyly, and flushed when the boy began to laugh loudly. Did he say something wrong? Did Jack not show around new kids? Was he tricked? That would be a dirty trick.

"Jesus Merridew I haven't heard a kid say your first name in ages." He crooned, patting Jack on the shoulder once again. "Hey, I'll talk to you later." He winked and resumed his fast flight down the hallway.

"So, everyone calls you Merridew now?" Ralph asked, falling into step behind Jack's flowing cape once again. That kind of explained why Jack hadn't responded when Ralph used his name.

"Yes." Jack said flatly, like he didn't want to discuss the topic, and Ralph was completely fine with that.

A large pair of oak wood doors appeared at the end of the hallway. They elegantly arched toward the ceiling, and two nuns stood on either side, scolding students who were running in the hall. Ralph blew out a heavy breath as Jack wrenched the doors open, grunting quietly at their weight.

The church was lined with large stain glass windows. They flooded the marble floor with natural light of pink, yellow, and purple. The pews were wooden and facing a marble alter, where a golden bible stood proudly. Jack slipped into one of the pews and shyly pat the hallow wood next to him. Ralph hesitated before kneeling and sitting down beside the chorister.

"I know you think that I'm not sorry for what I did." Jack said quietly, his blue eyes planted on the golden bible. "Everyone just assumes that I'm fine because I was, 'one of the painted ones'. But Ralph," he suddenly turned his gaze to the flushed boy, "you don't know the guilt I feel."

Ralph balled his hands into fists in his lap. He was glad. He was glad Jack was miserable. _Serves him right, _Ralph thought angrily. "Why are you telling me all this?" Ralph asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm telling you this because no one else understands! And, I want you to forgive me." Ralph played with the ends of his sleeves. Damn Jack Merridew, making Ralph feel guilty. Ralph tugged at his shirt. Did Jack know the kind of things…? "You probably don't care but-"

"You're right." Ralph said, abruptly standing up. "I don't care." He edged out of the pew quickly and briskly walked out of the church. He could feel Jack's icy eyes picking away at his back, until he mercifully closed the heavy doors behind him. Ralph didn't care that he had no idea where any of his classes were. As long as he never had to see Jack Merridew again, he would be okay.

Ralph rushed down the hallway, ignoring questionable looks from other students. They were all the same. Each one of them was a painted savage, waiting hungrily in the shadows for Ralph to join them. Ralph slammed the old door to his room shut and sat down in front of it. He pulled his legs up to his chest.

Ralph frowned and pulled his right sleeve up slowly. His pail arm prickled with the rush of fresh air. Scars covered the entire forearm, slices of dark lines, never to be erased. He glared at his arm, as if it was mocking him of how weak he was. Ralph remembered what an idiot he was when he returned from the island, unable to cope with anything.

The blonde brought the soft sleeve back over his arm, where the roughly carved name Jack Merridew had embedded itself in Ralph's skin forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please review if you liked it! Thanks! **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies**

**[Humid Air]**

_Knock _

Ralph turned over lazily on his hard mattress

_Knock _

Ralph mumbled a string of slurred words and placed his fluffy pillow over his matted blonde hair.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK _

Ralph sat up out of bed quickly, his head spinning from drowsiness. As politely as he could muster he called out, "Yes?"

"Wake up call," an elderly voice rasped, muffled by the heavy wooden door, "hit the showers while the water's still hot." Ralph shuddered at the idea of cleaning himself so close to other boys. The blonde stood up and walked awkwardly over to his unpacked suitcase. A white towel was folded neatly on the bottom. Ralph grabbed it and realized he had no ideas where the showers even were.

_Damn you! Why couldn't you let Jack show you around?_ Ralph shook his head and dismissed his inner voice. He cracked his door open timidly and peered out into the hallway. There were boys running up and down the corridor, some were wet, and had nothing but a towel on around their waists. Ralph unconsciously cringed at their naked bodies. Others were briskly walking in their pajamas with towels and tooth brushes in their hands. Ralph bargained that following them would take him where he needed to be.

The fair boy crept into the hallway; as if afraid that the other students would lunge at him. He followed the few clothed individuals. Ralph held his white towel tightly to his chest. What if he saw Jack in the wash room? Unconsciously the blonde hugged his fluffy towel closer to himself. _I hate you Jack Merridew. _He cursed the ginger silently.

Ralph's face came into contact with a damp wall of flesh. Startled Ralph began stuttering an apology. The boy, much taller than he, laughed leisurely and pat Ralph on the head. "Jesus, relax man." He strode leisurely down the hall and into one of the nearby dorm rooms. Ralph frowned; he hoped he didn't look too high strung. The blonde glanced down at the towel clinging to his chest and relaxed his grip immediately. Ralph cleared his throat, glancing around at the other boys, and walked to the old door labeled: "Wash Room".

Steam clouded his vision and humid air clung to his shirt and face. A wave of anxiety filled Ralph's mind like the humid air. There was nothing separating the showers from the large open space of the wash room. Ralph pulled at his long sleeves self consciously. He couldn't shower in front of everyone else…they would see his arms. The sound of boys hitting other boys made him flinch and woozy.

_Come on… _he thought, desperately looking for the sway of a curtain or stall door. _They can't really expect us all to shower together! _What the hell was he going to do? Ralph stepped under one of the rusty shower heads uncomfortably. He set his white towel carefully on the floor at his feet. Looks like Ralph would be showering in his clothes.

The faucet was sticky and refused to turn as Ralph gripped it. He could feel unwelcome stares boring into his back, and it took all of his willpower to not run away. Finally the stubborn faucet squeaked irritably and turned in Ralph's unsteady hand. Ice water poured onto his head, plastering his fair hair to his forehead. He realized that he had nothing to wash his hair with. _God can you do anything right? _

"Excuse me," Ralph said shyly to the boy showering next to him, "is it alright if I borrow some of your shampoo?" He awkwardly pulled at his shirt, which was now uncomfortably clinging to his body.

The boy turned to face Ralph. He had angry grey eyes, and dark jet black hair. Immediately Ralph noticed how much this tall student reminded him of Roger. The moment the dark boys' mouth turned into a leer Ralph regretted asking the schoolboy anything. Students around the shower glanced at each other wearily.

"Why, of course you can." The boy supposed, his eerie words dripping with venom. He reached down and wrapped a large hand around his shampoo bottle. "I haven't seen you around, you must be new." His grin stretched at the edges of his lips.

"Y-Yes," Ralph cleared his throat, "I am new." He tried to coolly run his hand through his flat damp hair. The Roger-look-alike squeezed a large blob of the soap into his hand.

"You know, at St. Peter's, there's a certain ceremony that the new kids get to go through." He raised his voice, as if addressing the other students around. A few boys nodded, amused, while others quickly bustled out of the wash room.

Ralph was silent. He wasn't stupid or naïve. Ralph shakily bent down, grabbed his towel and proceeded to make his escape when a large hand caught his wet shirt. "Hey! Let go!" Ralph yelled, flailing his towel around uselessly. He fleetingly looked at the students, silently begging for help. However, none of them did a thing, a few even cheered on the Roger-look-alike.

Ralph felt the back of his head connect with the tile wall as the dark boy shoved him. Two other large students grabbed Ralph by the arms. He could feel the rough hands of Roger-look-alike tugging his damp shirt over his head.

"No! Stop it!" The blonde protested, but his words carried on ignored. Ralph's vision became blocked by his cotton shirt as the dark boy struggled to pull it over his head. His sobs went on unheeded by silent bystanders. Memories bombarded him; memories of biting and scratching as young savages tried to get a hold of Piggy's specs.

"Holy shit." One of the students gasped as Ralph felt the humid air stick to his naked arms. The rough hands dropped him immediately. Ralph didn't hesitate to make his escape. He shoved his way through the troubling threesome and ran out of the washroom. Curious schoolboys in their primp uniforms watched Ralph sprint down the hallway. The blonde's eyes were blurred with humiliating hot tears.

Fingers wrapped themselves around Ralph's wrist, pulling him to a painful stop. He desperately tried to wrench himself free, but his struggling was in vain. Embarrassed, Ralph turned around to face his captor. _No no no…_Ralph angrily cursed himself when he saw the icy blue eyes of Jack Merridew. However, the choir boys' gaze was glued on Ralph's outstretched arm; where Jack Merridew was carved deep into his skin. The red head was silent, but his grip tightened. After what seemed like hours of silence and humiliating stares from other kids, Jack's gaze met with Ralph's.

"Are you okay?" He asked Ralph quietly, his eyes burned with intensity. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?" The ice flickered back to glance at Ralph's arm, and then back to his face.

"Jack, I'm fine." Ralph mumbled, finally pulling his arm from the chorister's grip. Jack wasn't wearing that ridiculous choir cape today, just the normal school uniform. Ralph tucked his arm behind his back awkwardly.

"No, you're not." Jack's stare held his fiercely. "Come on; let's go back to your room." The red head reached for Ralph's arm again, but the fair boy shuffled back. _Jack doesn't seem so guilt stricken today. _Ralph thought bitterly. Jack spoke again, "I can give you a pass for being late to class. Seriously, you need to get out of the hallway." A tight smirk, "After all, you are half naked." Suddenly self conscious, Ralph nodded.

The blonde opened the large wooden door and stepped into the sanctum of his room. Jack stayed outside, and began to close the door for Ralph, but Ralph stopped him. "You can come in…if you want." He said, swallowing his pride.

"Thanks." Jack stepped into the room quickly and shut the door. He watched Ralph, and then awkwardly looked away. Ralph walked to his closet and pulled on the white polo shirt. He grabbed the navy trousers.

"You wouldn't mind turning around would you?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Jack scratched at his wild red hair and suddenly looked very interested in the wall behind him.

Ralph pulled on the navy pants and buttoned them. They were snug around his waist, and he had a bit of trouble tucking in his shirt. "Okay…I'm good." He muttered uncomfortably. Ralph grabbed at the red tie and frowned at it. His mum had always tied ties around his neck when a formal occasion asked for it. Jack watched him, and a tentative smirk crept onto his freckled face.

"Have you never done a tie knot?" Jack asked.

"I have!" Ralph said hotly. "I just forgot how is all."

"Shall I do it for you?"

"No, I've got it." Ralph muttered, slipping the red string around his neck. _Why'd you have to invite him in? He's mocking you! _After seven tries, Ralph gave up, and handed the tie to Jack, who stepped forward and took it.

Ralph could smell the mint in Jack's breath as he slipped the red fabric around his neck. "Really Ralph, I thought you were the civilized one." The harmless joke brought painful memories. The blonde watched the chorister skillfully pull the tie neatly around his neck. Jack really wasn't as ugly as he used to be—_Stop that! _No, really maybe he's changed. Maybe he's sorry—_Shut up. Remember what he did to you…to Piggy. _Jack finally stepped away from him with a tight smile.

"Thanks…" Ralph muttered; a bit miffed at the fact their paths had crossed once again.

"Your arm," Jack said reluctantly, Ralph pulled at his long sleeves, "is that what I did to you?" He whispered. Ralph sighed; this was a conversation for another time.

"Class has probably already started." Ralph supposed. "Would you show me to English?" He walked to the elegant desk and picked up his schedule.

Jack nodded, understanding that his probing question would have to wait. The two boys walked out of the room in silence, leaving the topic of concern behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Welcome to Chapter 4! I know exactly where this fiction is going to go…I'm not sure how long it will be though, probably a bit longer than most. Anyway, for those of you who reviewed thank you so much! Enjoy! **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Sinners] **

To Ralph's dismay, he found himself with Jack Merridew quite often. The chorister would walk Ralph to his classes, sit with him at lunch and dinner breaks, and if he wasn't at choir practice; he was in Ralph's room making up excuses to help him with his homework. Ralph found Jack's company a bit unsettling, however politely put up with it. _He feels guilty, _Ralph would tell himself, _he's just trying to make up for what he did all those years ago. _The subject of Ralph's arm was never brought up.

"Jack," Ralph said quietly one lunch period, "you can let go of what happened on the—the island." The two boys were sitting at their usual spot, an isolated table in the corner of the cafeteria. Ralph picked at his food absently. "It's over, I'm not even that mad any more. So, you can leave me alone if you want to." Like a wave of panic the blonde realized he didn't _want _Jack to leave him alone. The arrogant red head (who yelled at him for getting stuff wrong on his school work) was beginning to grow on him.

"You think that's why I've been hanging around you all this time?" Jack asked, stuffing gooey macaroni and cheese in his mouth. "Well...at first that's how it was." Ralph's face flushed, and he kept his eyes down on his disgusting lunch. "But, I like being with you Ralph. It's like how we were before everything happened. We were good friends then, yeah?" He took another bite of food.

"Yes, we were." Ralph placed his plastic fork down on the table.

"Eat your food."

"I'm finished."

"No you're not. Eat."

"But I'm not hungry."

"Just eat your damn food." Jack said irritably. Ralph unwillingly shoved the cheesy cement into his mouth.

Ralph sat silently at his desk, working on math equations. Jack was at choir practice, and Ralph was thankful for the rare time alone. Ralph sat back in his squeaky chair. He should be angry at Jack, and he desperately wanted to be. The blonde wanted nothing more than to tell the Jack to shove off, leave him alone; he didn't need Jack.

Once Ralph finished his homework, he gathered up his pajamas and toiletries. He showered at night, when no other boys were in the wash room. Ralph quietly shut his door behind him and briskly walked down the hallway. He got to the wash room and peered inside before he completely opened the door. Ralph blew out a sigh of relief and entered the empty shower area. He placed his things gingerly on the floor next to him and then stripped himself of his clothes. Ralph turned the rusty shower faucet and felt the rush of cold water drench his head. Blonde hair plastered to his forehead, obstructing his vision.

"Hey Ralph." A deep voice murmured behind him. Ralph was horrified at the girly shriek that escaped his lips. He reached for his towel but then saw the familiar wild red hair enter his line of sight.

"I-I thought you were at practice." Ralph stuttered, trying to awkwardly cover himself. Jack sniggered and took off his shirt. Jack's stomach was lean and muscular, and Ralph had to turn around to keep himself from staring, especially when he heard Jack's shorts drop to the ground.

"I was." Jack said, standing closely next to Ralph, turning on the nearest shower. "We got done early, so I came to come find you."

"Stalker."

"Shut up." Jack dipped his head under the water and sighed contently. "I thought you would need some help with your homework. You suck at English." He chuckled.

Ralph muttered a playful curse at the boy and shivered from the waters' temperature. "I wish this school had hot water." He muttered absently, rubbing away the goose bumps on his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked. "The water's fine." Ralph saw a freckled hand reach under his shower head and then pull back. The blonde glanced up at Jack's face, he was frowning. "Damn, that is cold. Here…" He shuffled slightly to the right, "come under mine."

"Nah its okay, I'm finished." Ralph flushed and looked away. He shakily turned the shower off and reached for his shorts. Jack seized him in one second and dragged him under the warm water. It felt wonderful and melted over Ralph's skin. For a few moments, Ralph didn't say a word. But then, he became aware of Jack's proximity, aware of Jack's arms around him. A protest boiled in his throat, but didn't escape before Jack spoke.

"God Ralph you're freezing."

"Jack! Get off me!" Ralph fumbled out of Jack's slippery grip, but his arm was caught by the hunter's hand. The two boys stood that way, silently.

"You hurt yourself because of me." Jack murmured a long finger trailed up and down Ralph's arm, leaving goose bumps in its tracks. "Ralph, I never want to see you hurt."

What the hell was going on? Ralph's mind could barely register the situation. Has Jack gone mad? They were in school! And, not only in school, but a _Catholic_ school, these thoughts that were racing through his mind should have been enough for him to yank free and tell Jack off. But then, why didn't he, even as he saw Jack's pale lips coming closer to his own. Why didn't he run away? Because…maybe he…

Jack's lips gently pressed against Ralph's, who stood like a statue, shock freezing his body. This was-this was wrong. But, it felt so good. The blonde couldn't find it in himself to kiss back, so he did what would register. His free arm shot up and slapped Jack across the face. The red head groaned and released him. Immediately Ralph ran for his clothes and pulled them on.

"R-Ralph," Jack stammered, slipping slightly on the wet tile floor, "I'm sorry I don't what came over me-" Ralph picked up his towel and glanced at the pitiful sight that was Jack Merridew. _Leave him. Break him. _And Ralph wanted to. Oh how he wanted to! But…he couldn't.

"Jack, you only kiss people you're attracted to, are you aware of that?" It was meant to be sarcastic and joking, but Ralph's voice came out in a low whisper.

"Oh God," Jack said finally, "oh God!" He pushed back handfuls of his red hair, pacing the wash room. "I'm sorry Ralph I didn't want you to find out this way." Ralph was relieved when Jack finally stopped moving and pulled up his shorts.

"Find what out?" The blonde asked stupidly, hugging his towel to his chest.

"That I like you! Jesus, Ralph! On the island I liked you! I never stopped thinking about you…I-I tried to impress you. And then we got rescued, and I thought—but then you came back. I was thinking maybe this time I could get you…and oh God just leave."

"Jack—"

"Leave!"

Ralph flinched at the amount of rage in the chorister's voice and quickly exited the wash room. Hours after the event Ralph kept replaying everything Jack had said to him. Jack Merridew _liked_ him. Why was the thought comforting? Ralph wasn't a queer. But, as the endless night wore on, these feelings, the amount of pleasure that kiss had brought. Ralph shuddered. Could he really…?

_Sinner._


	5. Chapter 5

**Ouch I cut off part of my finger in art class with a box cutter, so it took me forever to type out this chapter. I would like to thank those of you who reviewed. I love seeing reviews in my inbox! Anyway, currently I am working on an art piece for a contest on Deviant Art, and YES, it is Lord of the Flies! I'm really excited to finish it, and excited to really get going with this fan fiction. Without further a due, I give you Chapter 5!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Bacon] **

It was Saturday; sweet and glorious Saturday. Ralph snuggled into his pillow. No church today, no wakeup calls, no English classes. The blonde turned over in his stiff bed, wiping his arm across his mouth. Warm drool spattered the back of his hand…drool that was also shared with—

Ralph shot up out of bed. Memories from the previous night hit him like a semi truck. He was in the showers, and Jack was there. Jack had kissed him. Ralph's fingers lingered across his lips. Jack had _kissed _him. The fair boy plopped back down onto the hard mattress. _A dream…_his mind protested, _it was just a dream. No, it was a nightmare! Jack couldn't have kissed you! He's a boy, and you're a boy! Boys don't kiss boys! _However relentless Ralph's inner voice seemed to yell, he had a hard time agreeing with it.

Ralph hadn't kissed Jack back of course, but he didn't exactly pull away either. _You walloped him a good one right across the face…_but still…when their lips touched, Ralph swore he felt an electric shock that he had never felt before. The only problem was that the blonde couldn't tell if this shock was repulsion or pleasure. He was unsure of which option scared him more. This was Jack Merridew after all. The boy who had hunted him down, wanted to feed him to the beast, and killed his friends. This _had _to be a trick. Another one of Jack's bloody tricks.

Ralph rolled over, facing his small night stand table, where Piggy's specs sat cozily by the lamp. Ralph let a lazy thin finger trail the dirt encrusted glasses. "Is it a trick, Piggy?" He murmured quietly. The answer came from a loud rap on the wooden door. Ralph sat up quickly and tugged anxiously at his sleeves. Another impatient rap on the door quickened his pace. Ralph's heart was beating against his rib cage in anticipation of who he _knew _was on the other side of that door. Ralph opened the door a crack, expecting piercing blue eyes and slim freckled features.

However, instead of a red headed school boy, there was a neatly folded piece of paper lying on the floor. Ralph looked around curiously, unaware of the pair of eyes that were watching just around the corner. He pushed the heavy door open all the way and crouched down to pick up the note. Once more the fair boy glanced around the corridor, before pocketing the note and closing his door.

Ralph sat down on his creaky desk chair. He unfolded the thick piece of paper slowly, unsure of what it might contain. He flattened out the creases and smudged some of the crude hand writing. The note was short, with a simple sloppy message:

_Library at 12. _

Ralph crumpled the paper irritably. "You couldn't just ask me that?" It was supposed to be a thought, and the blonde surprised himself at the bitterness biting his words. He turned around awkwardly in his chair. The glasses shined dully in the light of his room. Ralph let out a sigh and leaned his arms against the back support of the chair, and then rested his head on his arms. "Do you think I should go?" He asked the specs. Silence was the only audible answer. "I suppose…" Ralph murmured.

He stood up and walked to the cluttered closet, where he stuffed all of his clothes onto the shelves. It was Saturday after all, so he didn't need to wear his uniform. Ralph picked through dozens of shirts and finally decided on a simple dark red individual. This shirt he rather liked, it fit him snuggly and showed off the little muscle mass he had acquired over the years. Ralph then found a nice pair of light jeans and pulled the outfit together with a leather belt. He rolled the red sleeves over his arms and pondered on what to do next.

His stomach gave him the answer.

Ralph clutched at his belly self consciously when it let out a moan of hunger. The cafeteria was open from 6 am to 10 pm on Saturdays. Ralph planned to grab a bite to eat, then to meet with his tormentor after he was satisfied. The fair boy left his room quietly and cautiously, as he always did. Boys smiled at him out of recognition and he politely smiled back before gluing his gaze back on the ground.

_Savages. _

The cafeteria was in the basement of the school. To Ralph's disappointment it was filled with many other boys. He didn't make eye contact with a single one as he walked to the counter to get his food. The lunch lady plopped discolored scrambled eggs, raw bacon, and a burnt piece of toast on his plate. Ralph thanked her politely, but she just grunted and returned to doing dishes.

Ralph found his relatively isolated table in the corner of the large room and sat down contently. He avoided the eggs, but the toast wasn't that bad. And of course, Ralph would never consider touching the bacon. Not because of its grotesque appearance (well that was a small part of it), but because it came from a pig. He refused to eat anything that came from that animal. The taste would spark old memories back to life; memories of madness, and of death. The slam of a plastic tray hitting the table brought the blonde back to reality. His heart sunk at the three boys taking a seat before him.

It was that tall boy who looked like Roger, and the two other boys who had grabbed him. Ralph didn't care about their features; all he saw was the black hole of the beast, rearing its ugly head. Ralph's body was stiff with fear and indecision. He was unsure. Part of him screamed to run, while the other part screamed to stand his ground.

"I haven't seen you in the showers recently." The lead dark boy sneered, stealing the bacon off Ralph's plate and slurping the floppy meat into his mouth. Ralph was silent, and only spoke when he was sure his voice wouldn't betray him.

"May I help you?" He asked politely, his voice surprisingly level. The two boys sniggered behind Roger look-alike.

"Yes, you may." He smirked, bringing a large hand across the table and pinching Ralph's sleeve. "Why do you have Merridew's name carved on your arm?"

Ralph brought his hands under the table uneasily. He broke his cool exterior and began to shake violently, his voice betraying him with humiliating cracks. "I-I…y-you see…" Ralph coughed. "Th-that's none of your business." He cleared his throat.

"I believe it is. You see, Jack Merridew's my brother." Ralph inwardly gasped, and searched the dark boy's face for similarity. He didn't find anything; this boy looked more like Roger than Jack. As if reading Ralph's thoughts he said, "Step brother." He smiled; Ralph's reaction was amusing to him.

"I need to be somewhere." Ralph muttered, scooting away from the table. However he stopped in his tracks when he noticed one of the shadows behind Jack's brother hold up a dirty pair of spectacles. He handed them to Jack's brother, who glanced at Ralph maliciously.

The blonde sat back down slowly and furiously. "Give those back! You have no right!"

"Shut up." He spat. "You don't want these to brake, do you?" He pulled at the bridge threateningly. Ralph ignored him, on a rampage now. _He won't take Piggy from me again! Not again! _Ralph lunged across the table, flying into Roger—the boy who looked like Roger. The screams of other boys and the lunch lady seemed distant.

"You have no right! You have no right! Those are Piggy's! He needs his specs to see! Damn it Roger, give 'em back!" Even with adrenaline pumping through his veins, Ralph was easily over powered. He could feel foreign arms tugging at him. A flash of red hair, freckled hands pulling on him.

_Crack! _Piggy's specs cracked in half from the pressure of the two boys' bodies. Finally they were pulled apart by adult assistance and other students. Ralph could hear a familiar voice in his ear, pleading with him. "Ralph! Calm down!"

"No! He broke Piggy's specs! He can't see now! He'll never be able to see again!" Ralph screamed, thrashing against the tight grip. He could feel his body start to tire, and lean against Jack Merridew for support. "Piggy's specs…their…." Everything blurred. "…to see…he needs them…" He lolled his head, it had become so heavy.

"Someone get this boy to the church!" A disturbed elderly voice called, before everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**I honestly believe that Lord of the Flies is one of the best fandoms EVER. I read the book as an English choice book, and I shutter when I think of where I would be today if I haven't read it. Where would I be not knowing there's a book out there with British school boys on an island? Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Review please! And if you've reviewed already you are welcome to do it again! I love you people who review on my stuff all the time! **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Friends] **

Ralph could feel the cool wood of the pew underneath his cheek. Voices were bouncing off stone walls and hitting him like bullets. _God shut up…_Ralph stirred, wriggling his body and mumbling cursed words. He didn't bother to open his eyes, because he was afraid of what he might see. He might see Jack Merridew and his horrid brother. He might see Piggy wailing because someone broke his specs. But worse, he'll see that golden bible balanced ceremoniously on top of the alter; judging him.

"It looks like he's beginning to stir." An old crumpled voice whispered. "What sort of punishment is in store for this boy?" Ralph tried not to cringe at the word _punishment_.

"Let's not blow this into a huge event." A familiar voice cackled. Ralph racked his brain and finally came to the conclusion that it was that old lady who showed him his dorm the first day. Yes, that's right…her name was Angie. "He's one of the island boys you know." She whispered.

One of the island boys. In other words, Ralph had an excuse to act out on other people because he was on that blasted island. He now understood that the adults here thought of him as crazy or unstable. _I'm not crazy. That boy had it coming. He took Piggy's specs…_ There was a shuffle of feet, and Ralph strained to hear what might be going on around him.

"Angie," _Why? Why do you keep finding me? _"Ralph seems like he's going to be fine. Shall I take him back to his room?" A voice, which was a bit higher than most boys', asked coolly. It was undoubtedly Jack. Now Ralph definitely was not going to open his eyes, it would be too embarrassing to face him.

"Yes, thank you dear." Angie said graciously. Ralph could hear a differing grumble from the other elderly voice.

_How is he going to—_Ralph's body was jerked off of the cool pew. The fair boy gave away his consciousness with a small shriek and snapped his eyes open. He was horrified when he realized that Jack was attempting to hold him like one would cradle a child. Jack smirked when he saw Ralph's expression and positioned his arms underneath the bend in Ralph's legs and under the shoulder blades, hoisting him up.

"God Ralph you really need to eat more." He said playfully, beginning to walk down the long aisle. It was true. Ralph frowned when he remembered what a toned form he used to possess, it had more or less diminished over the years. Ralph suddenly became very self-conscious and aware that he was in the arms of the boy who had _kissed _him yesterday.

"Let go of me." Ralph spat, kicking his legs weakly. His body protested. It was quite enjoying exerting little energy after Ralph's "episode". However, the blonde's mind ruled over his body and repeated desperately in his head, _this is wrong._

Jack held fast, and found Ralph's squirming amusing. Jack ignored the blonde's plea and when he got the large wooden doors he said, "Push open the door, I don't have any free hands." Ralph glared at him, and tried another feeble attempt to escape the boy's arms.

"Jack seriously, I'm fine."

"Then open the door for me."

"Alright, put me down." Ralph said cleverly. The red head didn't seem to want to comply and grunted with concentration as he pushed the door open himself. He smiled when Ralph's face turned a bright shade of red. Jack began walking again. Other boys were staring.

"You're cute…" Jack murmured quietly, eyes forward. Ralph flushed an even brighter shade of red, and glanced down at the ground promptly. Why did pleasure surge through his veins at Jack's compliment? He didn't want this. _Jack's trying to get you! Don't you see? Stop giving him the wrong ideas! _

"Please Jack." Ralph whispered, refusing to make eye contact with the chorister. "Please put me down, you're making me uncomfortable." He said this as politely as he could.

"Ralph, you just fainted. You can't just go walking around, you need to rest." Jack's voice was strained and serious, carrying its familiar tone of authority. "I'll leave you alone once we get to your room." Ralph nodded, knowing this argument wasn't worth having, considering the pair was almost to his dorm.

Ralph's door was still slightly ajar from when Jack's brother broke in. The red head kicked the door open and lay Ralph down on the bed quietly. The blonde sat up and watched curiously as Jack took out a crumpled shiny object from his side.

It was the glasses, crudely taped together at the bridge of the nose. Jack placed them on Ralph's night table and smiled a quick good bye before turning around. Ralph wanted to kick himself for the thoughts he was having. He didn't want Jack to leave. He wanted Jack to stay and call him cute again. Ralph shook his head irritably. Words formed on the tip of his tongue and against his wishes forced open his lips.

"Wait." Ralph spluttered. Jack stopped suddenly, his hand on the door. "Y-you can stay if you want to."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes." Ralph muttered, lying down on the hard mattress, wanting to suffocate himself with his pillow. Jack had some kind of abstract control over him, and the blonde wasn't sure what it was.

Jack closed the door, and took it upon himself to sit down in Ralph's desk chair. He had a grin on his face, and Ralph could tell that he was trying hard to suppress it. Jack tapped the chunky watch around his wrist awkwardly, still smiling like a bloke.

"You never told me you had a brother." Ralph blurted, regretting his words once they left his mouth. Jack's smile vanished, and he looked the fair boy icily in the eye.

"His name is Ron. While I—we were on the island my mother remarried." Jack explained, bringing his gaze to the dull walls. "Ron and I didn't get along very well. We still don't."

"Oh…" was all Ralph could say. He watched Jack curiously, suddenly feeling cold.

"He saw, didn't he?" Jack murmured, vaguely nodding his head toward Ralph's arm, which was curled up near his chest.

"Yes." Ralph dropped his eyes to Piggy's spectacles. "He wanted to know why—" The blonde couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He was so ashamed.

Jack stood up and slowly walked to the side of Ralph's bed and knelt down, forcing the boy to have eye contact with him. His icy stare seemed to melt as he brought about the touchy subject. "Ralph." He said quietly but firmly. Ralph was trapped in Jack's gaze; he was fully aware of the proximity between them but made no move to scoot away. He could see each of Jack's freckles, and feel his warm breath against his skin. "Ralph," he repeated, "why did you do that to yourself?" He hesitantly reached out to touch the fair boy and brushed his fingers over Ralph's sleeve lightly. Ralph was quiet for several minutes before he could formulate his answer.

"After the island," Ralph whispered, as if the walls were trying to eavesdrop, "I didn't know how to deal with what I knew. I saw everybody, even my mum, as a—a beast. But I knew I was the most savage out of everyone. People would praise me, and call me an angel for what I did—or tried to do on the island. I couldn't take it anymore. I'm a murderer and I could have prevented everything that happened. I wanted to punish myself for what I did…because nobody else was. So, I cut myself, and the pain…it felt good. Then, I thought of you…and I hated you…you were—in my mind—the true beast on the island. There was always that…connection we shared; a deep evil connection. So, I carved your name into my arm to mark myself as…evil." Ralph's voice broke several times during his humiliating story. Hot tears were running down his cheek and soaking his pillow. Jack's hand was still resting on his thin arm, but his face was a mask, and gave nothing away. Finally, Jack brought himself to speak.

"Do you still see me as evil Ralph?" His voice was also a whisper. _Yes! Yes! Say yes! _

"No." Ralph said, moving to wipe away the embarrassing tears, but Jack's other hand was there first. He wiped the tears gently from Ralph's cheeks, and let out a shuttering sigh, as if he was recently holding his breath. The red head put his forehead down against the edge of the hard mattress, so that he was looking at the floor.

"I'm so sorry." He murmured, retreating and standing up. He began to turn toward the door, and before Ralph could rationally think about it he sat up out of bed and grabbed for Jack's hand, like a small child would his mother. Jack turned back to the blonde, surprised.

"I really don't think your evil Jack. I see you've changed." Ralph said quickly, guilt was heavy in his features. "I actually hope we can be friends." At this mention Jack's mouth twitched, and his hand reseeded from Ralph's.

"Yes," Jack mumbled, somewhat disappointed. He leaned forward, bringing his face barely an inch away from Ralph's. Minty breath clogged the blonde's senses. Jack slowly closed the small distance and their lips touched again for a second time.

When Jack pulled his face away he whispered, "…friends…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow I can't believe what great reviews I'm getting on this story. They all make me really happy and inspire me to keep writing and updating as fast as I do. And yeah, the reason why I update so fast is because I get bored so easily and refuse to do any homework (which is probably bad if I plan on getting into a good college). I'm too lazy to write personal thanks to people in this note…so I'll probably just PM you guys. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 7!**

***Disclaimer: If I owned any characters from Lord of the Flies, I wouldn't have to put these stupid disclaimers in the beginning of every chapter! **

**[Dreams] **

_Ralph sat down on the warm sand of the beach. His fair hair ruffled in the sea breeze, and the tide licked his bare feet timidly. Ralph looked down at his sun kissed hands, which protectively cradled the conch. It was brittle and fragile, like at any moment it might crumble in his hands. The fair boy sat down comfortably. Everything was calm and peaceful; he was finally alone. _

_ "Hullo Ralph." A voice murmured behind him. A voice that was strikingly familiar and sinfully pleasurable. Ralph turned around, already expecting the mess of wild red hair and piercing light eyes. Jack floated next to the blonde, cloaked in black. He took a seat beside Ralph and stared out at sea. Ralph watched him, high on the red head's presence. _

_ "Jack." Ralph nodded curtly at the boy; he ripped his eyes away from the chorister and examined the brittle shell in his hands. _

_ "We haven't been completely alone like this." Jack mused, scooting closer to the fair boy. Ralph agreed solemnly, and made no move to lengthen their distance. "It's nice…on this island. It's easier." _

_ "What's easier?" Ralph asked. A breeze spoke in the silence of the two boys. _

_ "This…" Jack murmured softly, and with well thought out action, he slowly brought himself forward and kissed Ralph on the lips. The blonde made a small whimper of protest, but it was ripped away when Jack suddenly slammed himself on top of Ralph. Ralph still clutched the fragile conch to his chest. Jack's breath coated his face. _

_ "Jack—" Ralph began breathlessly, but the ginger cut him off and smashed his mouth hungrily onto the blonde's. Jack forced open Ralph's lips and snuck his slippery tongue in-between his teeth. Blood pumped inside the fair boy's veins. His body was elated by this sudden harsh attention. But still, he held the conch firmly. _

_ Jack finally pulled his head away, breathless. "I know you want this Ralph." He panted, kissing Ralph again hungrily. "It's easier here isn't it? No one is watching us…not even God." The red head brought up a slender hand and stroked Ralph's cheek tenderly. "Tell me Ralph." Jack murmured. He lowered himself even closer to the boy. "Tell me that you want this…" He nipped at Ralph's ear playfully. _

_ Ralph's body screamed,_ YES! YES! YES! _His mind was silent. It had come to terms…Ralph wanted Jack—needed Jack. He wanted to give himself to the chorister. _

_ "Yes Jack," Ralph said softly, "I want this." _

_ The conch shattered. _

Ralph's eyes snapped open; he sat up out of bed quickly. He wiped away warm sweat that clung to his forehead. _A dream…it was just a dream…_Ralph squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples. The dream was so real; he could still taste Jack's tongue in his mouth. The blonde moved his hand timidly over his lips and shuddered. What was happening to him?

The blanket around his legs suddenly felt constricting and hot. Irritably, Ralph kicked the covers off of himself, immediately after the action he stopped. Ralph's face flushed, _N-no way…_ He experimentally moved his legs again. There was something wet and sticky on the inside of his pajama pants.

Ralph shakily swung himself to the side of the bed. He stood up awkwardly and stood bow-legged. The plain white sheets were stained ever so slightly. Ralph stared at them ashamed. This had never happened to him before…and he didn't know what to do. _Change your pants. _A logical voice spat in his head.

Though there was no one around, the blonde glanced about the room self consciously before pulling his pants down. He was disgusted at what he saw and quickly got into a pair of clean boxers. _I just had a wet dream…_he thought, repulsed. _…and it was about Jack Merridew. _Ralph picked up his soiled pants and looked at them questionably. "Piggy," he said to the crumpled spectacles, "what have I done?" Ralph threw the pants back onto the floor. There was a harsh knock on his door, and he jumped.

"Wake up call! Mass starts in half an hour!" A voice hissed behind the thick wood.

Ralph grabbed handfuls of his soft fair hair. He would have to see Jack in that blasted choir uniform. "I can't face him." Ralph mumbled to himself, grabbing his uniform trousers and pulling them on.

The fair boy walked down the crowded corridor silently. His mind was heavy with lingering images of Jack. Images of when the red head bit at his ear, the first time he kissed him softly in the showers, and that first day on the island, when they had been so innocent. Ralph tugged at his sleeves and could feel Jack's name tingling softly. _Remember how he touched you. _Ralph shook his head, hot humiliation welling up behind his eyes.

Ralph took a seat in the back of the church, as far away from the alter as possible. A heavenly melody floated from the front of the church and into his ears. At the alter was the boys' choir, singing an opening song. One voice rose above all others, taking the high notes and occasionally soloing. Ralph looked down at his feet and resisted the urge to cover his ears.

He folded his hands neatly in front of him and closed his eyes, sending a quick prayer towards Simon as he usually did. Then, Ralph shuffled his feet nervously, remembering Jack's breathy words to him the day before.

_"Friends…" _

The blonde slowly opened his eyes and dared a glance at the choir, whom had closed their opening song. Jack was looking straight at him, the small hairs on the back of Ralph's neck stood up. Even when he glanced back down at his feet, the fair boy could still feel Jack's stare carving into his being.

The ceremony officially began, and the choir was dismissed. Ralph was horrified as he saw Jack float toward him, his black cape flowing gracefully. _No! No! No! Why can't you just stay away from me! _

"Is it alright if I sit next to you?" The chorister whispered.

"O-of course…take a seat." Ralph scooted over politely and watched as the red head slowly genuflected. Jack smiled graciously and sat closely next to Ralph. Their arms were touching and pleasure pumped excitedly through the blonde's veins from the contact. _My heart is beating fast…_ Ralph peeked over at Jack, who looked very interested in the priest's seminar. He sighed, there was no denying it. This questionable feeling that lurked in the pit of his stomach was finally defined.

Ralph had fallen for Jack Merridew.

** Sorry nothing really exciting happened in this chapter D:! I'm just using it as kind of a transition into the next chapter…which I hope you guys will really like because I have got big plans for this fiction. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's chapter 8! Not much to say except to read and review. But most importantly…enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from William Golding's, Lord of the Flies. **

**[Fevers] **

The ceremony ended with half hearted singing and the anticipated communion. Ralph stood up quickly, eager to go and hide in his room in shame. _You're a murderer, and now you're a queer._ The blonde nearly tripped over Jack in his attempt to escape the Holy room. To his dismay, the chorister caught him by the shoulder, forcing eye contact on the boy.

"Ralph, I want to talk to you about what happened yesterday." He said quietly and sternly, making sure other passing boys couldn't hear him. Unsatisfied with Ralph's lack of response he continued on, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—" he quickly glanced around and lowered his voice, "—to kiss you like that. It was incredibly rude of me." Ralph rolled his eyes, Jack was starting to ramble again, finding every excuse he could to justify his heinous act. _But you liked it. _

"Why don't we talk about that somewhere else?" Ralph suggested uneasily, realizing the red head's hand still rested comfortably on his shoulder. Awkwardly, Ralph made his way past Jack and motioned him to follow. The ginger didn't hesitate.

The boys walked down the halls in deafening silence, until Jack bravely muttered, "Their serving breakfast in the cafeteria. Let's go there." He shoved his hands into his pockets to hide his obvious distress.

"I'm not very hungry…" Ralph mildly protested, but Jack was already steering them toward the eating area.

"Doesn't matter if you're not hungry," The red head said, "you need to eat more." At this last statement the two boys were silent once again, until they reached their destination.

Ralph sat down uncomfortably at his usual table. There were little students in the cafeteria today, and for this, he was thankful. The blonde patiently waited for Jack to come back with their breakfast (the red head had insisted on getting his meal for him). Idly, Ralph tugged at his sleeves, a habit that made him look rather childish.

The slam of a plastic tray announced Jack's arrival, and Ralph glanced up at the chorister and thanked him politely. He visibly cringed at the disgusting 'eggs', burnt toast, and raw bacon. Jack watched the blonde curiously, and once again, was the first to speak.

"Eat." He said flatly. Ralph didn't understand what he had done to put Jack in such a bad mood. The fair boy timidly reached for the burnt toast and nibbled at the crust uneasily, keeping his gaze on the table.

"Jack," he said finally, "about yesterday…" the red head visibly tensed. "…Why—" Ralph paused; he was trying to figure out how to formulate his words correctly. "If you always apologize and regret…kissing me…then why do you do it?" He watched Jack pick up the slippery pieces of bacon and chew on them nervously.

"Because…I-I do stupid stuff around you." He said. "God Ralph, I don't know what it is…I could never control what I did around you." He leaned back against his chair. "I apologize because…I know it must be awkward. I know you don't…feel the same way I do. But, it's okay, because it won't happen again." Now, the red head leaned forward in his chair, bringing himself closer to the blonde. He tentatively brushed his hand over Ralph's. "I promise." Ralph could feel a humiliating blush begin to flower underneath his cheeks. _You want him to do it again. Tell him. Why can't you tell him? _"Do you believe me?"

"I'm sorry—what?" Ralph blinked and awkwardly took another bite of toast.

"Do you believe me?" Jack repeated impatiently, "That I won't kiss you again."

"Y-yes…I believe you." _Coward. _

The two students were quiet for a few minutes before Jack said, "Well, we have the rest of the day off. Do you have any plans?"

"I never have plans." Ralph reminded him dully, and Jack chuckled lightly.

"If you don't mind then, I found this smashing place in the woods surrounding the property. Since you're free, I was thinking maybe you'd like to see it?" Jack asked, heaving a hefty fork full of gelatinous scrambled eggs into his mouth. Ralph tried to hide the sudden anxiety that crept into his mind. The woods? With Jack Merridew? He must have been seriously batty, because there was no way he could deny the invitation…no matter how much he wanted to.

"Uhm, yes I'd like to see it but…I thought we weren't allowed off the property of the school."

"It's still near the school, besides no one will know." He smiled wryly and sent shivers of pleasure up and down Ralph's spine. But suddenly, that smile vanished, and he said quickly. "But…if you're uncomfortable you don't have to—"

"No it's alright. I could use some fresh air anyway." Ralph said uneasily and finished his piece of blackened bread.

XXX

"It's only a bit farther." Jack insisted, and Ralph only grunted in response. They had been climbing through thick trees and bushes for at least twenty minutes. Not only was this extremely difficult for Ralph, but it was also irritating that Jack seemed to ghost through the thick undergrowth easily. _Like he never lost his hunter's stride. _Ralph shivered lightly, and tried to pretend that the scratchy branches didn't remind him of his dark past.

"Okay," Jack said excitedly, stopping abruptly, "we're here." He shoved a thick branch out of the way and held it aside for Ralph, like a gentleman would hold open a door for a woman. The blonde stepped past Jack wearily and glanced around the small clearing they had come upon.

To be honest, Ralph didn't see why Jack was so excited. There were no wild flowers growing within the thick course grass. There was no sun to shine off of the green leaves of the trees. And, it was barely large enough to sustain two teenage boys. But, when Ralph glanced at Jack's proud features, he smiled politely and said, "Wicked."

"I know, yeah?" Jack said breathlessly, he rolled up the sleeves of his uniform polo. "I found this place on my own. I come here to think sometimes." He inhaled the fresh air and sat on the damp ground. He patted the thick grass next to him and Ralph sat down carefully (he didn't want any grass stains on his uniform). The blonde watched Jack cautiously. He struggled to find what turned this happy boy in front of him into that deranged savage so many years ago. A distant finch chirped in the back round.

"Does anyone else come here?" Ralph asked.

"I don't think so." Jack sniggered like a child, "It's my secret."

"It's not a secret anymore." Ralph reminded him. "You can't go showing other people secret things."

"Fine," Jack stretched out his arms, "It will be our secret then." Jack looked at Ralph, who was blushing madly. The blonde desperately hoped that Jack didn't notice…but it didn't look like he would have such luck. Jack's smile vanished and he asked, "Ralph—are you okay? You look feverish."

"I-I'm perfectly fine." Ralph mumbled, and pretended to be very interested in a bug crawling in the grass. He felt a cold hand slide under his bangs and rest against his forehead. Jack's breath was close and on his ear.

"You feel hot." He said concernedly. Ralph's blood boiled excitedly under his skin. The fair boy's mind became clouded with lustful thoughts. Images from his previous dreams flashed in his head, and suddenly he wanted more. He wanted to feel Jack's cool hand where he hadn't felt it before.

"You're doing it wrong." Ralph stammered, and Jack slid his hand away and looked at the blonde doubtfully.

"Oh?"

"Yes…whenever my mum would check for a temperature, s-she would feel my back." Ralph wanted to slap himself. He sounded completely mad, but Jack just raised his eye brow.

"Are you suggesting that I feel your back then?" The chorister asked sarcastically.

"W-well, if you want to check for temperature correctly…then y-you should." By now Ralph's face was a bright shade of crimson; he glanced at Jack from the corner of his eyes, and saw the red head was smiling.

"Alright…so shall I—err…make sure you're not running a fever?"

"Yes." The blonde was mentally beating himself for his stupidity. But, his body did feel hot, and when he felt Jack's cold hand slide under his shirt, his body temperature exploded. The blonde felt Jack rest his hand coolly at the base of his shoulder blade. "Jesus Ralph…you're really hot." Ralph still lusted for more touch.

"Y-you're supposed to rub your hand up and down, to make s-sure you got the right spot." Jack began smoothly running his hand up and down Ralph's spine.

"Like this?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Ralph said softly. His body screamed for more, and before he could suppress the voices screaming in his head, the blonde turned his head to Jack and pressed his lips awkwardly to the chorister's mouth. Immediately Jack's hand slid away from under Ralph's shirt and he pulled away from the fair boy. Jack looked at Ralph in utter confusion.

"W-what was that?" Jack hissed. "Are you mocking me?" The red head stood up in a fluster of anger.

"No!" Ralph shakily stood up as well, and almost fell over due to his lack of balance. Ralph grabbed for Jack's arm, but the boy pulled away.

"What the fuck Ralph?" Jack spat. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No!" _What the hell were you thinking? _"Jack, please, listen?" Ralph could feel tears prickling behind his eyes. God, he was acting like such a _girl_! And, he hated himself for it, but he ignored the humiliating sting and went on, "I-I know now."

"Know what?"

"That I…I don't mind that you kiss me! I like when you compliment me, or-or hold my hand! At first I didn't know. But, I know _now! _And-and I think I might even—" The flustered blonde was cut off by the pressure of lips smashing against his own. Jack was on him in an instant, knocking him to the damp earth. Ralph awkwardly tried to kiss back, but his mouth was clumsy with inexperience. Finally, Jack brought himself away from the fair boy breathlessly.

He brought his face close to Ralph's so that his minty breath ghosted over his face. "Are you saying you want this Ralph?" Jack murmured softly. Ralph's cheeks bloomed pink.

"Yes." He said, firmly, "I am." And Jack's mouth was on him again. The trees hid the two boys away from societies prying eyes. And, kept the secrets of what sins were being committed shielded from the gaze of God.


	9. Chapter 9

**I can't believe the positive feedback I am getting on this thing. I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to you people that review all the time! Anyway, read, review, and most importantly…enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. If I did, Roger may have sung the Bed Intruder song (You know who you are). **

**[Spies] **

Ralph sat in his English desk anxiously. He constantly glanced up at the clock; only twenty more minutes of class left. The blonde knew that once he left the sanctuary of the classroom, Jack would be there waiting. Ralph shivered lightly from pleasure or from revulsion, he didn't know. It had been a few days since that faithful time in the woods, and things had almost gone back to normal. _Almost. _

Ralph expected their relationship to go back to the way it used to be; which was awkward and slightly tense. However, it changed completely. The fair boy never expected to be sexually active with anyone…let alone a boy. _And not just any boy, _his mind cooed, _Jack Merridew. _The red headed chorister still stuck to Ralph's side like glue, walking him to his classes and sitting with him at lunch. However, what used to be Jack tutoring him in his dorm room had become something less innocent. In fact, the blonde's face flushed when he recalled what happened last night. Also, Ralph couldn't help but notice the sudden change in Jack's demeanor when other boys were around. It was slightly territorial, like a predator hovering over its kill…daring any other animal to come near it. Ralph closed his eyes and rested his head against the splintery wood of his desk.

"Mr. Merus?" A nasally voice cut like a blade into the recesses of his mind. Distant sniggers alerted Ralph that he was still in English class, and the teacher had called on him. "Mr. Merus." The teacher said again impatiently.

Ralph lifted his head quickly, causing his vision to blur momentarily. "Yes?" Embarrassment flushed into his cheeks.

"Can you tell us the third step in the Loss of Innocence Cycle?" The professor spat irritably, like she had repeated the question multiple times.

"Uhm…" Ralph felt like hitting his head against the hard wood of the desk. He searched his thoughts desperately. "…Wilderness…?"

"That will do." The teacher said monotonously, she didn't let Ralph out of her beady gaze just yet. "Can you give us an example of when you went through the Loss of Innocence Cycle?" Ralph uncomfortably looked around at the students staring at him; expecting a story. Sure he could give them a story…in fact it would be perfect for this unit. Hell, he could probably write a book on it and schools would _beg _to use it as a prime example. There was no way he would ever share such a thing. It was the reason why every single person in the classroom looked like a dark beastie.

"No." Ralph said, after a minute of humiliating silence. "I can't." The professor sneered at Ralph before taking her torture on to another boy in the class. The blonde blew out a shaky breath before closing his eyes again. The next thing he knew, the sound of the bell was dinging loudly through the air, freeing the school boys at last.

Ralph was the last to walk out of the room. He wasn't surprised to see a boy cloaked in black leaning on the opposite wall waiting for him. At the site of Ralph, Jack perked up and walked slowly over to the boy. Ralph glanced at him irritably; English class always put him in a bad mood.

"I have choir tonight." Jack said, walking close at Ralph's side. "You'll be alright with out me until six, right?" He asked sarcastically.

"I never ask you to come to my room every day." Ralph reminded him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You choose to do that. Besides, I really have to clean myself up." He absently rubbed his hair, which was becoming kind of disgusting due to his lack of hygiene over the past few days.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Jack murmured, he scanned the fair boy quickly. "I forgot you showered at night."

"Yes well, you remember how well it went the first time I showered here." Ralph joked, but his tone hardly sounded playful. He tugged at his long sleeves subconsciously, remembering how that was the first time Jack had seen his arm.

"You ran through the halls half naked." Jack mused, like he was deep in thought. Then, the red head glanced around to make sure there was no one in the hall way. He grabbed Ralph's hand quickly and squeezed it. "It's okay though," He whispered, "I don't want any of those other boys seeing you anyway." Ralph blushed and Jack quickly let go of his hand and moved a moral distance away from the boy.

Ralph saw his dorm room up ahead and sighed. He wanted to spend a little bit of more time with Jack before he headed off to choir practice. When Ralph reached his destination he heaved the wooden door open silently. The blonde was surprised when he felt Jack's hands on his back, shoving him into the room. The red head was hot on his heals and almost slammed the door behind him. Jack spun Ralph around and planted a hard kiss on his mouth. Ralph just blinked, taken aback, and Jack finally pulled away.

"What was that for?" Ralph said, somewhat irritated.

"I'm sorry," Jack mumbled breathlessly, "I wanted to do that all day." The chorister headed for the door and opened it a crack before turning back to Ralph and smiling. "I'll see you after practice." And he was gone.

Ralph shook his head and sat on the end of his hard mattress. He stared at the empty nightstand table. Piggy's specs were no longer there. After Ralph and Jack returned to the school that one day, he put the specs in his desk drawer. He didn't want Piggy to have to witness the kind of things he and Jack had been doing in his room. After all, Piggy was no sinner. Piggy wasn't damned to hell like Ralph was.

The blonde sighed and stood up, taking a seat in his desk. He decided to postpone his shower until later, when he was sure no one would be in the Wash Room. Ralph thought it better to do his homework now, because there was no way he would get any of it done when Jack came in. Ralph took out the multiple work sheets and text books. He stared at them silently for a moment before opening one of the stiff drawers. The blonde dug out Piggy's glasses and set them on the desk top. Piggy usually helped him focus on school work.

Ralph started with Math and worked on each subject hastily until he got to English. It was a long term writing assignment. Ralph groaned out loud and read the acquirements listed on the lined sheet of paper. _Of course, _he thought bitterly, _Loss of Innocence…_It was the same question his professor had asked him in class. The fair boy set the sheet aside, he'd get to that later.

Ralph put Piggy's specs away gingerly. He ran his had through his grimy hair and frowned. The blonde wasn't sure how much time he had before Jack finished choir, but he assumed it would be just enough to shower. Ralph stood up and grabbed his white towel and shampoo that Jack had given him earlier in the week. The blonde closed his door softly behind him and was pleased at the little amount of students in the hall.

When he got to the Wash Room he relieved himself of his school uniform and shivered slightly at the cold temperature. He picked out the warm shower head and turned the rusty faucet. Hot water poured over his head and melted over his back. Ralph sighed in contentment and grabbed the shampoo. He squeezed a hefty plop of the soap into his palm. The fair boy worked it through his hair, and made a mental note that he should get his hair trimmed soon.

When all of the soap was rinsed out of Ralph's hair he shook his head and grabbed his towel. First, Ralph pulled up his boxers, but while he bent to pick up his pants he heard the heavy door to the Wash Room creak open. Almost instinctively, Ralph glanced toward the entrance, frozen in his spot, like a deer in headlights. Then, the shock of red hair entered his line of sight, and he immediately relaxed. Ralph frowned at himself, why was he always so jumpy? He knew he wasn't always this way…oh how much he wished to go back to that confident young boy he was ages ago!

"You weren't in your room." Jack explained. He wasn't wearing his choir outfit, just the normal school boy uniform. Ralph also observed that he didn't bring any toiletries, so he didn't come to shower. Suddenly realizing that he was rather exposed, Ralph flushed and pulled on his navy trousers and reached for his white polo shirt. An arm caught his, and spun him around. Jack was looking at Ralph's chest with a strange glint in his eye. His other hand was absently touching Ralph's stomach.

"You really are quite beautiful." He murmured softly. "I'm glad I finally get to have you." He leaned in for a gentle kiss, but Ralph pulled away, and drew his arm out of Jack's loose grip. The red head stared at Ralph, annoyed.

"Jack," Ralph said, he wanted to tell the chorister no, he wasn't in the mood. But, the problem was that Ralph _was _in the mood. So, all he managed to say was, "not here." Jack, apparently, didn't feel like listening. He grabbed onto the blonde's waist and pulled him in close. The humid air made Jack's hair stick to his forehead.

"Come on," he whispered, "just a little." Once again he moved in for a kiss, but before his lips could touch to Ralph's, the fair boy spoke.

"What if someone comes in? What if they see?" This statement was only good enough to make the red head hesitate.

"Let them see." He said impatiently, tightening his grip around Ralph's thin waist. He gently kissed Ralph, and for a moment Ralph just didn't care. In fact he kissed back (with slightly more experienced lips). The boys stood, locked in a sweet embrace, when the creak of the Wash Room door alerted them that someone was coming. Ralph was the first to pull away. Jack let go of him and glanced at the door. There was no one there that they could see.

"Hello?" Jack called out, there was no response. The chorister took a few steps away from Ralph to look around the perimeter, but he saw nothing. "…must be the wind or something." He mumbled, before returning to Ralph and assuming his previous position.

"Jack…" Ralph began wearily, but he was cut short by the pressure of Jack's lips, on his once again. Ralph's blood pumped excitedly, the red headed chorister had him under his control.

"You're so warm." Jack murmured into his ear and bit at it experimentally. Ralph was mortified when he let out a soft resonance from his throat. It was completely involuntary, and this sound seemed to amuse Jack deeply. The red head kept his mouth at Ralph's ear, "Oh God Ralph," he said quietly, holding the blonde tight in an embrace, "I think I love you." Ralph didn't have time to respond, because again, Jack's mouth was on his.

_Repulsing…_

_ Disgusting…_

_ Immoral… _

Jack Merridew's step brother, Ron, slipped out of the Wash Room quietly and unnoticed. He _knew _there was something going on between Merridew and Ralph. Although none of his hunches would have concluded to _this. _The dark boy shook with revulsion, and walked quickly down the hall way. But then, the mask of repugnance morphed into that of pure evil. He could work with this.

Ron slowed his pace, and smiled at the notion of a new plan, dripping like venom in his brain.

**Sorry this chapter isn't as cute as the last one D:! Chapter 10 coming soon, I won't let you down (hopefully)!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome to Chapter 10. I'm excited for this chapter purely because it is a double digit (lame right?). Now, earlier I knew exactly what this fan fiction was going to go to, and how it was going to end. But now…I'm not completely sure. It has kind of taken a life of its own. I have the large future conflict planned out, but I'm not sure how to write it down…ah well that won't be for a little bit…so I'll let Jack and Ralph stay in their little candy coated wonderland for a little longer…but until then…ANYWAY, read, review, and most importantly…enjoy!**

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Voices]**

"_Ralph! He's going to get you!" _

Ralph's eyes snapped open. His breath came out heavy and labored, a coat of cold sweat layered over his pale face. Ralph was lying on his side, facing the wall. He felt awkward and wrong for a reason he wasn't sure of, but dismissed that sentiment for the time being. _That voice…_it was so real, and so close. _I know that voice…_It was unmistakably Simon. The small boy was little more than a faded ghost in Ralph's mind now, but every now and then—

A rough groan of irritation and fatigue sounded behind Ralph's head, and the fair boy shot up from his curled position and almost shrieked in horror. He frantically looked to the other side of his mattress to distinguish the owner of the voice. There lay Jack Merridew, sprawled half off of the bed and topless. _Shit. _Ralph's mind began racing at once, temporarily forgetting the disturbing nightmare. Jack was in his _bed. _The memories of the previous hours suddenly flooded into his brain.

Hot wet mouths, heated warm flesh, roaming hands. Ralph instinctively touched his neck tentatively, where bruises had blossomed at the base of his throat. Suddenly he became disgusted, and shamefully kicked the sin laced sheets off of him. Once again, Jack groaned irritably. The severity of the situation slapped him across the face. What if someone came in?

Quickly, the blonde boy grasped Jack's shoulder with a clammy hand. "Jack." He hissed quietly. The chorister didn't stir, so Ralph shook him lightly. "Jack!" He spat again.

"Mm—wha?" Jack shooed Ralph's hand away like it was a pesky fly and turned over. Ralph slapped his back hotly, and the red head sat up and glared at Ralph. "Damn it! What!"

"Shh!" Ralph forced his hand onto Jack's mouth and waited for the ginger's mind to wake up. A glint of recognition flew across Jack's blue irises and gently he took Ralph's hand off of his mouth before whispering a curse.

"What time is it?" He asked quietly, and was unsatisfied when Ralph only shrugged in response. Ralph watched Jack get off the bed, and he flushed at Jack's lack of clothing. The redhead grabbed for his watch, which was thrown uncaringly onto the ground. He held it close to his face, so he could read the numbers in the darkness.

"Well?"

"It's three am." He rubbed his face and walked slowly back to Ralph's bed. Jack sat down and rested his head in his hands. He glanced at Ralph, "You don't know if there's anyone patrolling the halls do you?"

"You've gone here longer than I have." Ralph avoided Jack's eyes by looking down at his legs. It was the first time he noticed _his _lack of clothing as well. The two boys sat silently, with nothing on but boxers. Ralph twitched when he felt Jack's arm slide across his waist and pull him onto his lap. He whispered into his ear.

"Perhaps it would be better if I stayed." _Yes. _

"No." Ralph pushed Jack's arms off of him and stood up. He wished Jack could stay, but the risk was too great. "Jack, what if someone comes in? I can't even comprehend what they'd do." The red head only frowned, and Ralph sighed in frustration. Jack seemed useless when he was drowsy. It looked like Ralph would have to take matters into his own hands.

The blonde bent down and began picking up clothes that he believed were Jack's. He shoved them in the red head's face and told him to put them on. Jack hesitated, and groaned childishly before taking the wrinkled rags. Ralph watched him get dressed clumsily, and a blush flowered underneath his cheeks. _Stop that. _

"If someone sees you," Ralph said, reaching up at fixing Jack's hair, "tell them you had to go to the bathroom or something." With Ralph's hands still tangled in Jack's hair, the red head bent down slightly and kissed Ralph on the lips. He brought his head away reluctantly.

"What ever you say." He murmured softly. Ralph's body tingled for more but he ignored the infuriating pleas. He took his hands out of Jack's red hair and crept to the door. Ralph cringed when the door creaked in protest as he opened it very slowly. The halls were black and empty.

"I'll see you later." Jack said, touching Ralph's face lightly, before melting into the darkness. Ralph closed the door gently and sat down on his bed. With Jack gone, his mind drifted back to Simon's strange warning.

_"Ralph! He's going to get you!" _What did it mean? _You must have had a nightmare earlier, and just can't remember. _That was the most logical suggestion. However, Ralph never forgot his nightmares about the island. Ever. The blonde slowly lowered himself on his bed and didn't bother to pull up the sheets. He waited desperately for sleep to come back and lull him into its gentle arms…but it never did.

XXX

Ralph's morning classes were a blur. He didn't fall asleep in any of them, but he could hardly remember what lessons he learned. There were deep purple bruises underneath his honey eyes, and his hair was messy and not well groomed. He tried to get some sleep last night, but his mind wouldn't let him. When Jack met Ralph after his last class before lunch, the red head's jaw almost dropped at his repulsive appearance.

"Ralph." He said, reaching for the blonde's arm but stopping when he noticed the other students. "What happened?" Ralph was only half paying attention; he kept his lazy gaze forward as he walked slowly to the cafeteria.

"…couldn't sleep…" Ralph mumbled, rubbing one of his eyes.

"Oh God Ralph I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in your room. You look awful, maybe I should take you to the—"

"No." Ralph said irritably, his lack of rest left him high strung, "It has nothing to do with that. I had a bad dream." He could feel Jack's stare penetrating his pale skin. Jack began talking again, but Ralph ignored it until they reached the eating room.

Ralph rested his head on the cool wood of the table. It felt heavenly against his heated cheek. Jack was off getting their food as he usually did, and Ralph closed his eyes, trying to do the best with his time alone. He could hear sleep singing to him, pulling him into its soft embrace, but then Jack came back.

"Ralph, you really need to go to the clinic. They have open beds there." The chorister's voice was closer than usual. Jack had taken the chair right next to him (usually they sat across from each other).

"'m fine." Ralph mumbled, and he felt a cold hand on the back of his neck. Ralph was too tired to lift his head and protest.

"You've got a fever. You may be sick—"

"Leave me alone…" The cool hand slid away from Ralph's neck. The fair boy heard a screech from the chair moving against the stone floor.

Suddenly strong arms were around his waist and hoisting him upwards. Ralph knew this feeling. Jack was going to try and carry him again.

"Jack—" He protested, but it was half hearted. Ralph refused to look at the other students, he knew they were staring.

"Shut up." Jack said, and grunted as he lifted Ralph's legs off of the ground. He blew out a heavy breath. "I'm not giving you a choice."

Ralph's head lolled against Jack's shoulder. He closed his eyes, feeling more comfortably than he ever had in the last twenty four hours. The blonde recalled a time long ago when Jack was his enemy. Jack was the devil. And here he was…nearly falling asleep in his arms. Ralph could feel Jack's labored breath coat part of his face. He inhaled the smell of mint lazily.

"Oh my, what happened?" A worried voice exclaimed. They must be in the clinic already.

"My friend's sick." Jack said politely. "He's the boy who also passed out a few weeks ago. I think for the sake of his health he should stay in here and rest up."

"Yes of course! Bring him in here." There was a shuffle of feet against carpet. "Lay him down." Ralph felt himself being lowered, and then could feel a soft cold cot support him under his back. "He's a lucky boy to have a responsible friend like you." She praised.

Ralph opened his eyes unwillingly. The bright lights stung, and he almost snapped them shut again. Jack was looking over him along with a plump elderly woman. He began to speak but Jack interrupted.

"I'll be back with your homework from your other classes later, okay?" Ralph nodded mutely. Jack smiled at the nurse before he disappeared.

"Dear just fall asleep, and if you need anything just call…I'll be in the other room." She said quietly, before fading away and closing the door behind her. Ralph turned over and closed his eyes; sleep welcomed him contently this time.

XXX

"Hey…wake up."

_Someone's shaking me. _

"Come on already."

_Jack? How long has it been? _

Ralph turned over toward the voice, and cracked open his eyes. They took a moment to focus on the figure sitting beside him. The fair boy felt dizzy, but better after finally getting some sleep. Perhaps Jack was right; he may have a fever after all. Once Ralph's vision finally adjusted to the bright light, his stomach lurched, and he felt the urgent need to retch. _Roger…_No not Roger… _Ron. _

The dark boy sat beside him, a smirk dancing across his shadowy face. His fingers lightly stroked Ralph's sleeve, but his void eyes dug into Ralph's unmercifully.

"Hello Ralph."

_"Ralph! He's going to get you!"_


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay everyone, here is chapter 11. Now…it's kind of…well…just read it. As you all must be aware of, it is going to be spring break soon (well for me any way)! So, I'm going to try and write as many chapters before then so I don't have to leave you guys hanging. Uh… now I'm unsure of how much farther I should take this thing. What do you think? Pm me? Anyway…HUGE thank you. I'm really gracious of what some of you say about my story…and I'll probably PM all you…so yeah…enjoy. **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

***Warning*: A TINY bit of blood D: (and kind of a mental breakdown) **

**[Relapse] **

"I'm glad I finally have a chance to talk with you." Ron said, venom coating each word like sweet sugar, inviting but deadly. "I would like to apologize for what I did before." He vaguely gestured at Ralph. The blonde watched him skeptically. He felt safe in the clinic. There were adults close by. So, when the blonde spoke, his voice was even but hushed.

"What do you care?" Ralph's asked, staring daggers at the dark boy. He remembered Jack's fading smile, _"Ron and I…didn't get along very well." _

"Listen. I know you were on the island with Merridew all those years ago." Ron leaned in, suddenly loosing his calm façade. "Merridew would always talk about you. How he never got to finish what he started." At this, Ralph swallowed…remembering exactly how Jack wanted to finish him. _A stick sharpened at both ends. _"I thought he was cracked. A year after the island he searched and searched for you." This thought oddly comforted Ralph, and Ron could sense it. He quickly added, "—to do you in." Ralph visibly paled. No…this can't be right. _He's trying to get under your skin! _

"I don't believe you." Ralph hissed, sitting up in the soft cot. His head protested immediately, but the pain was irrelevant. This dark boy in front of him was up to something, but Ralph didn't know what. Did he want revenge, because he may have gotten into trouble from that pathetic fight? Or…was this just his malevolence? Did he like toying with Ralph?

"I don't care if you believe me. Merridew has probably told you we don't get on together." Ralph nodded slowly. "But…sometimes I can't help but admire him, you know? He's smart and persuasive, yeah?" Ron's tough exterior seemed to crumble, and a more innocent school boy was now peering at Ralph almost pleadingly. _If he's acting…he's very good. _

"What are you getting to?" At the sight of Ron's less guarded appearance, Ralph's confidence built up steadily. He could now look the dark boy in the eye. Ron licked his lips nervously and glanced around, afraid someone might hear. Then, he whispered very quietly.

"When Merridew found out you were coming here, he went mad. He found me, and asked me if I would participate in his…plans." Ralph raised an eyebrow. _He thinks he can fool me… _

"What plans?" The blonde asked, pretending to look curious and intrigued.

"He's bonkers Ralph. He had this sick idea of finally doing you in…but first, he needed to have control over you." Ralph blinked; _Jack does have control over me. _

"And…h-how would he get this control?" Ralph asked quietly. Ron's face twisted in disgust, and he cringed.

"He wanted you to fall for him. To do that…he told me to bully you. I don't know what he hoped to accomplish by this…maybe a reason to be your hero or something?" Ron gazed at Ralph curiously. The blonde nodded for him to go on mutely. "Anyway…I believe it worked. And then, when you two were in the showers just last night—"

"How do you know about that?" Ralph exclaimed, before he could rationally think about it. _Shit. _Ralph hadn't realized that he was clenching the white sheets of the cot. He relaxed his grip and closed his eyes. Was he seriously buying into what Ron was telling him? _But it makes so much sense. _Could the truth really be rearing its ugly head? Ralph shook himself. _Jack…but how—_

"Merridew told me." Ron said flatly. "He tells me everything." _He told him. _"He wants you to let your guard down, and then, when you least expect it…he'll strike." Ron watched Ralph critically. The blonde was looking down at his legs; tornadoes of thoughts were racing through his mind. _Everything…he lied. _Then, a memory quickly appeared.

_"Oh God Ralph, I love you."_

_He couldn't have lied. _Ralph had never heard a more sincere line in his life. But, what did he really know about sincerity? Here was a boy, who at the rightful age of twelve committed two murders. Ralph remembered when he first arrived at the academy, he thought of Jack as a twisted swine. All those months ago, the thought of Jack pulling off something like this…it would be no surprise at all.

_This is what he wants. _The blonde suddenly felt the need to retch. His stomach twisted sickeningly at Jack's previous sweet words. Ralph glanced at Ron, who was watching him concernedly. The dark boy didn't falter once in his charade. Ralph wanted to hit him. Whatever this student had hoped to accomplish…he did. Ralph's trust in Jack suddenly faltered, and regardless of whether Ron spoke of the truth, the fact remained that this long strung lie was so highly _believable. _

"Why are you telling me this?" Ralph finally whispered.

"Because…like you…I'm sick of playing Merridew's little games." Ron smiled warmly. He had Ralph right where he wanted him. "If I were you, I wouldn't let him even get the chance to strike me first." He wanted Merridew broken. Ron wasn't stupid. He knew that to break Merridew, all it would take is to break Ralph…who was unstable and half broken already. This was just too great. He suddenly stood up, "I'm sure he'll be coming here for you soon…I shouldn't be here. So long."

Ralph watched him turn quickly and rush out of the plain room. The boy was left alone…haunted by thoughts. _Doubt. _"You can't really believe him." Ralph muttered to himself. "T-this is what he wanted."His voice shook nervously. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Ralph screamed; each word laced with hidden rage and self revulsion. The blonde clutched the sheets and threw them off of the cot.

"Mr. Merus!" A disturbed fragile voice exclaimed. "Are you alright? What is it?" The plump nurse had come back into the small room and was waving her stubby arms in a fret.

"I-I'm fine…p-please I need to go back to my room." Ralph hopped onto the floor, and almost fell down dizzily. He held his head and squinted his eyes shut, focusing hard on trying to be as polite as possible. "I'm fine…" he repeated, and walked unsteadily passed the old woman, "…fine…"

Ralph nearly sprinted down the hallway to his room. He was terrified. What if he saw Jack? Could he face him? Ralph's mind threw relentless images of the chorister covered in hideous war paint. He pictured the boy promising his savage followers a great hunt. _A hunt that never ended… _His shoes hit the stone floor unyieldingly, and other students watched him warily. Their gazes meant nothing. Each and every one of them was probably in on Jack's scheme. Animal instinct controlled Ralph's heinous actions…this was a feeling he was familiar with; a feeling of being hunted.

The fair boy slammed the heavy door behind him. "Jack will be able to get in." He said aloud, and glanced at his large desk questionably. Ralph moved cautiously over to it, and pulled. The desk moaned with protest as he dragged it along the floor, until it was safely in front of the door. Ralph then turned around to see the abhorrent area that was his bed. The sheets were wrinkled from shuttering sins. "I can't believe I fell for it." Ralph moaned, striding to the mattress. He punched at it angrily. "…I should have seen it! I would have seen it years ago! What happened to me!" He spun around and faced the ancient desk.

Piggy's specs were still out, they watched him…they judged him. "Oh! You shut up!" Ralph yelled at the glasses. "I know! You were right!" Silence. "Stop looking at me that way!" He suddenly snatched the fragile spectacles up in his shaking hands. "You don't know what it's like! For you, it's over!" Ralph growled and snapped the specs in two. Ralph watched one half of them fall to the floor, and crunch sadly onto the hard ground.

The blonde warily looked at the remaining side still in his hand. He noted the sharp edge that the bridge of the nose now possessed. Tears pricked behind his eyes. Ralph kneeled down on the ground slowly; he didn't rip his eyes off the ruined remnants of the glasses in his hand. "Oh Piggy…" His voice cracked, and he touched the broken edge. It was sharp…and it hurt. "Piggy…" Ralph brought the thin edge to the palm of his other hand. "…help me Piggy." Ralph inhaled sharply and dug the jagged broken bridge into his palm. He whaled out in pain like a child, but continued to dig in deeper. It hurt like hell…but it felt good.

Ralph wrenched the make-shift needle toward the middle of his palm, and the skin parted away from it. Something warm began rushing out of Ralph's hand. He watched the crimson flow; deep satisfaction ran through his veins. He twisted the specs (now dangling out of his hand), and moaned in pain again. _"If I were you, I wouldn't even let him get the chance of striking me first." _

_KNOCK_

The loud rapping on the door seemed far away from the fair boy. He was watching the blood drip down his hand and onto the floor.

_KNOCK_

Even the familiar muffled voice screaming his name seemed unimportant.

_KNOCK _

The shaking of the door knob and harsh kicks were all irrelevant. The blonde sat silently, admiring his humanity. Something he was sure he lost long ago. 


	12. Chapter 12

**You know what…I was completing a Lord of the Flies meme, and I noticed that A LOT of people have Piggy as their least favorite character. Now, not that there's anything wrong with that…but they say that he is just obnoxious and a nuisance in the book. Well, I DISAGREE, I think Piggy's wonderful (See Piggy? I have your back!) And people need to leave him alone D:. As Mr. E.M. Forster said, "At the present moment (if I may speak personally) it is respect for Piggy that seems needed most. I do not find it in our leaders". Okay…sorry, I had to vent. Anyway, here is chapter 12! Read and review please! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Souls] **

"Ralph! You let me in!" Came the muffled scream from behind the thick wooden door. Everything was silent. A fair haired boy sat in the middle of his room with a pair of broken spectacles jutting out of the palm of his hand. He made no noise. The fair haired boy just stared emptily at the crimson liquid running down his palm and swirling around his wrist. It was gorgeous, and it was hideous. It was life, and it was death. It was redemption, and it was downfall. The hard raps on the door were relentless, and still, the fair boy did not look up.

_You're weak. _A voice spat in Ralph's mind, utter revulsion lacing the imaginary words. _You can't ever face your problems can you? You run from them, just like on the bloody island, and just like right now. _Ralph watched the blood drop silently onto the floor. Ever so gently, he pulled the mangled specs out of his palm. It hurt. Ouch! It hurt! Ralph yelped and the sudden pain. He thought he had gone numb, but humanity came back to him and slapped him in the face. Ralph dropped the remaining specs in disgust and the jagged cut seared with new life. "Ouch." He said aloud, and the knocking on his door increased (if that was even possible).

"Ralph!" The voice said angrily, "People are staring! If you don't let me in I'm getting adults!" It wasn't the threat that made the fair boy pace to the door. It was that damned voice in his head, screaming at him for being weak. He wouldn't run away this time, if Jack wanted to hurt him; let him.

"Ralph! You better open this—"

"Shut up." Ralph said, his voice sounded bizarre to his own ears. "I'm opening it." He pushed the large desk back to where it belonged, all the while the wooden beast shrieked angrily against the floor. Ralph didn't even have time to walk to the door before Jack kicked it open and rushed into the room. He took the scene before him in alarm.

Ralph watched his sharp blue eyes fall onto the broken specs, the tiny drops of blood on the floor, and finally rest on Ralph's bleeding palm, which continued to pour out his soul freely. Ralph watched the red head slowly close the door behind him, but his gaze remained glued to the disgrace across Ralph's hand. Then, finally, softly, a choked word escaped Jack's paled lips.

"Why?" He took a step forward, and reached for Ralph's hand. The fair boy reacted quickly, but not quick enough. Jack grabbed onto Ralph's hand before he could snatch it back, the blonde struggled and spat in Jack's face, but the savage ignored his thrashing and grabbed hold of his other arm. Soon, Ralph was pinned against the wall with his murderer. "Why!" Jack repeated. Shock ran through Ralph's veins like a lightning bolt when he saw the threat of tears pooling behind Jack's eyes. Ralph had never seen Jack close to tears besides that one day on the island; when he decided to leave. "Answer me!"

"I-I…" Ralph felt himself slipping. Jack's grip hurt, and when a lonely tear slid down the boy's freckled face, guilt hit Ralph like a semi truck. _Tell him! Tell him you know his plans! _Ralph channeled that guilt and forced it into anger. "I know what you're doing Jack! I know you're just trying to get some kind of sick revenge! But, I'm not going to let you win! I won't let you strike me first!" Ralph was breathing heavily, glaring into the ginger that hovered only inches away from him. Jack's grip faltered for a second, before he regained himself.

"Ralph…" Jack said slowly, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your plan to kill me. Y-you made me f-fall for you. Then, when my guard is down, you're going to strike. But I won't let you! You won't get the first blow!"

"You sound mad!" Jack hissed, pressing himself closer to Ralph, a second tear escaped Jack's hard eyes. He ignored it. "What made you think that I was planning to kill you?"

"Ron told me everything." Ralph murmured, he watched the tears curve down Jack's slim cheek and then drip to the floor. "It was all a lie…wasn't it?"

"You think that I—" Jack freed Ralph of his tight grip and somewhat stumbled backwards. "…Ralph, I would _never _hurt you. H-how could you believe such a thing?" The chorister's voice was just above a whisper. It struck Ralph mercilessly with a tone of pure heartbreak.

"I-I…" the blonde held his head and slid down against the wall, planting himself on the ground, hoping that it would swallow him up. "It's so believable…it makes perfect sense." He whispered. Ralph heard the shuffle of Jack's feet as the red head tentatively moved closer to him.

"Ralph, listen to me. I would _die _before even yanking a hair off of your head." He sat down next to the blonde. "I understand that…based on our past…you have no reason to believe me. But, if I was planning to…" he exhaled shakily, "…kill you or something," a tight smirk, "there's no way I'd be able to come up with a plan like that. And, I think you know that." Ralph glanced at Jack from the corner of his eye, and saw the red head wiping away unwanted tears.

"I can't tell what the truth is anymore." Ralph whispered, before turning his head away. Strands of blonde hair obstructed his vision. He felt a cold hand snake under his chin and twist his head to face Jack. He was close, but Ralph was too exhausted to get into another struggled with the boy.

"Let your feelings decide." Jack murmured, and he kissed Ralph lightly on the lips. Ralph's body tingled excitedly, and immediately wanted more attention. Jack brought his face away slowly. "If you hate me…I'll leave you alone for good, I promise. If it will make you happy, I'll do what ever it takes."

_Is he lying? _Ralph pressed his forehead against Jack's broad shoulders. "I don't want you to leave me." The blonde said quietly. "You swear that you're not lying?"

"On my mother's grave."

Ralph blew out a shaky breath. He honestly didn't care anymore. He realized what a stupid child he must have been acting like. Jack was right, he could never think of such an articulated plan. Ralph remembered Jack's blunt way of trying to hunt him down on the island. The fair boy sighed in relief and relaxed into Jack, who clung to him.

"Jack?" Ralph whispered quietly, his voice muffled by Jack's cotton shirt.

"Yes love?" Jack asked, taking Ralph's bloody hand and stroking it gently.

"I love you."

**Short Chapter, but I wanted to update this story for you guys, I mean it's been like a week! I wanted to make Jack and Ralph make up :3. Oh, but this isn't the end for our protagonists! There is more to come, something that may indeed separate the boys for good with a final struggle to see if their love can survive the last challenge. Religion. **


	13. Chapter 13

**AN IMPORTANT NOTE! PLEASE READ ME: Some of you may already know of the event I am about to talk about. But please, read this short note before continuing on to Chapter 13. The Day of Silence is something that happens once a year and, this year, it is on April 15****th****. What is the day of silence? Well, it's when people take a pledge of silence to support people who were victims to hate crimes simply because of their sexuality. So, if you can, you should really participate in this occasion. Tell your friends…tell your family! And, if your school isn't aware of this day, you might want to tell your teachers before hand, so they understand why you're not talking in class. Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there for you guys! Read and review please!**

**[Caught] **

"My goodness," the plump old nurse exclaimed, "What did you manage to do to yourself!" She waddled over to where the fair boy awkwardly stood next to Jack. He held out his hand ashamedly, showing the ugly slice that was nestled in the middle of his palm. The blood had begun to clot, as it inevitably would, but the crimson liquid still oozed out slowly.

"It was a splinter," Ralph mumbled, "I opened my door too quickly and my hand slipped." The lie passed surprisingly easily through the blonde boy's lips. Jack had come up with the clever tale, while finally coming to his senses. The red head (after ceasing his shower of endless kisses) assessed Ralph's hand with a hint of worry, and thought it needed to be cleaned and bandaged up. Ralph, of course, thought that was completely unnecessary, but there are some arguments with Jack Merridew that can't succeed.

"Okay Ralph…Merus, was it? Come along and take a seat." The elderly woman fluffed the tight gray bun which lay rolled up on top her head. "Will your friend be staying with you?" She asked, waddling to an extremely bland desk in the corner of the extremely bland room. Ralph glanced at Jack questioningly, and the red headed chorister smiled.

"Yes, I'll be staying with him. It won't take long will it?" He said.

"No dear not at all," she cackled, opening a white drawer and taking out a cloth along with some clear liquid in a translucent bottle. "This will only take a minute or two." Her stubby hands retrieved some gauze and a role of tape as well. With this armful of supplies she made her way over to the silent boys. "Now, hold out your hand." She instructed Ralph.

Ralph did as he was told, and nervously gazed at the clear liquid which the nurse was soaking into the cloth. He felt Jack's fingers carefully tracing up and down his other arm, until the nurse brought her attention to Ralph's hand. She looked at it with distaste and muttered, "That's one nasty splinter you managed." She brought the damp cloth to the small wound and patted it lightly.

At first, the cool temperature of the solution felt relieving…but then it burned. Oh! Ouch! It burned! Ralph hissed and snatched his hand away, waving it around in the air. It seared into his skin like someone had thrown hot ash onto his palm. The nurse grabbed his hand with surprising precision and blew on it gently. She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

"No need to start fussing, just making sure you're all clean before we fix yah up." After the pain had initially dulled down, the woman wrapped the gauze around Ralph's hand until it was nice and tight. "Ralph, dear, hold this here please." She said, and Ralph placed his other hand onto the end of the thin cloth. The nurse taped it into place and kissed into the air, like she had just finished a masterpiece. "There you go." She smiled, and then she brought her eyes to Jack. "Keep this boy out of danger would you?" She asked jokingly.

Jack laughed and slung a cold arm around Ralph's shoulder, "It looks like I'll have to watch his every move." He ruffled Ralph's hair until the blonde shoved him away. Ralph stood up from the hard leather seat and thanked the nurse politely, while fixing his hair irritably. They exchanged goodbyes, and soon the two boys were walking out of the clinic.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Other boys wandered down the hall, quietly talking with their friends. One, a boy with brown hair and soft matching brown eyes looked up and smiled at Ralph, making his way over to the pair. Ralph was sure this boy looked familiar…Oh yes! He was from his English class; they had swapped a few words every now and then. His name was Travis…or something. As Travis got closer, Ralph couldn't help but notice Jack's demeanor change ever so slightly. His toned body stiffened a bit, and he brought himself a few millimeters closer to the blonde.

"Hey Ralph!" Travis said cheerily, then he glanced at Jack, seeing the chorister's intimidating stance he added in, "…M-Merridew…" awkwardly.

"Hullo Travis," Ralph smiled, "what is it?"

"You know those Loss of Innocence essays we had to write?" Ralph nodded sullenly, remembering the horrible assignment. "Well, the grades are posted outside of the English door, and yours was one of the top."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should go look. I've got to get going, but I just wanted to tell you." Travis then glanced at Jack again nervously. "I'll see you guys around." Then, he left, catching up with a group of other students.

"You guys friends?" Jack asked, his manner still holding its edge of possessiveness.

"I guess you could say that." Ralph shrugged.

"What do you mean 'you guess'? You're either friends or you aren't."

"Fine, then we're friends." Ralph said, and there was silence for a few moments. "What? Jealous?" He asked, with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"You're mine." Was all that Jack mumbled until they reached Ralph's dorm room.

The crumpled specs were still miserably on the floor, and Ralph picked up both halves quietly. _I'm sorry Piggy. _He placed them carefully in the desk drawer before turning to Jack.

"Ron knows…about us." Ralph said quietly, playing with the end of his sleeves. Jack came forward and placed a hand tenderly on the blonde's cheek.

"So what? Let him know." Jack murmured, beginning to bite lightly on Ralph's bottom lip. The fair boy's fingers twitched, and he wanted more attention, but his mind (for now) ruled over his body. He pushed the eager red head away, who growled irritably.

"He's going to tell people. He might blackmail us." Ralph stammered. Jack held the boy's thin wrists and guided him down to the hard mattress.

"I'll deal with him later." Jack said, almost against Ralph's mouth. Ralph felt the ginger's lips capture his and immediately relaxed. A hot slimy tongue asked for entry against his cool teeth. Ralph quickly opened his mouth and felt a surge of pleasure as Jack's tongue danced around his skillfully. Where did Jack's kissing abilities come from? Ralph wondered momentarily, as his own tongue tried to awkwardly slide into the red head's mouth.

Careful not to break from this sweet kiss, Jack slowly repositioned himself, and began lowering Ralph onto the bed. Ralph felt his head sink into the soft pillow, and closed his eyes as he felt Jack slowly lower onto him. The kiss deepened, but eventually, both of the boys needed Oxygen. With a grunt, Jack grudgingly brought himself away from the kiss; a line of spit followed his tongue as it reseeded from Ralph's mouth.

The blonde felt hot with ecstasy and brought his arms up around Jack's neck. The red head approved of this action and granted Ralph with another deep kiss and asked, "Do you want to take this further?" His minty breath melted into Ralph's skin, and the blonde felt a cool hand begin untucking his shirt and sliding under it, feeling his smooth stomach. There was no way Ralph could deny this notion, and soon the shirt was off (as well as the tie), he began tugging at Jack's clean polo as well.

Ron watched Ralph's door in disgust. He saw Jack and Ralph walk in there earlier, and the thought of what those two repulsing sinners could be doing right now made him want to retch. So, his plan hadn't really worked. Old Merridew just wooed Ralph over once again…it didn't seem like a very tedious thing to do.

There was nothing _more _that Ron wanted to see, than these two boys ripped apart from each other. Students glanced at the dark boy curiously, who was just gazing at the old wooden door. He was sure that by now Jack and Ralph had probably moved on to a more interesting activity to entertain themselves. The dark boy began walking slowly to the church, where two nuns were always patrolling the hallways…

Jack sucked on Ralph's neck, and the fair boy let out a quiet moan. This humiliating noise seemed to amuse Jack, and he sucked harder, until Ralph repeated the noise. Jack's tongue began trailing down his bare chest, and Ralph arched his back, to be even closer to the chorister. He could feel Jack's hands eagerly move to the waist band of his pants, and tug them lightly. An action such as this was usually enough to provoke Ralph and flinch away, but, the blonde wanted this. For the first time, he felt so deeply connected to Jack that he brought his mouth up close to Jack's ear and whispered, "I want this…" The red head smashed his mouth against Ralph's and pulled his pants down aggressively.

Jack was about to whisper something to the fair boy below him, but it never escaped his lips. Both Jack and Ralph heard the twist of the door knob, and all too quickly the creaking motion of the door. Before either boys could get away from each other adults came flooding into the room, yelling their names, and some…even crying.

Ralph saw one of the men wrap his arms around Jack's waist and try and yank him away, but Jack held desperately onto Ralph, as he did the same. Ralph felt arms wrap around him as well, trying to tug him away from Jack. The two boys clung to each other desperately. Jack was screaming a line of curses at them all, and the whole horrendous scene seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Eventually, there were too many people pulling the two boys in opposite directions, and Jack's iron grip faltered. He thrashed and screamed, calling Ralph, who tried desperately to follow after him. Ralph was held to the wall, as he watched them drag Jack away.

** This may be the last update in a bit…and when I say a bit…I really mean probably 2-3 weeks. I'm going on vacation soon and won't be able to write then. So, I may get a chapter in next week, but no guarantees (I'll try). I just wanted to give you a heads up! Reviews?**


	14. Chapter 14

**I would like to thank all of you who review, I am starting to think I'm writing this pretty much only for myself…but what ever xD. I love you guys who read it. I'm sorry to say this fiction is soon coming to a close. But, what will happen in that time? Who knows? Stick around. **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Torn]**

Ralph yanked the navy blue sweatshirt over his head numbly. Dark rings of purple were nestled under his eyes. The blonde pulled on his favorite pair of jeans and shuffled through his desk drawers until he found the mangled specs. He gazed at them lovingly before placing them on his pillow, where white sheets and blankets were all folded perfectly. Ralph glanced at Jack's chunky watch, which was wrapped around his wrist. It was eleven thirty at night; tomorrow his mum would come to pick him up form the school. Ralph was expelled, as well as Jack.

The fair boy frowned while thinking of the red head. The afternoon's events played over and over in his head as he laced up his running shoes.

_Ralph tapped a worried finger against his leg anxiously. He was in a small office, sitting in front of a large oak desk. Behind this desk was a big leather chair which waited for its beholder patiently. Ralph knew the man that sat in that chair must be important, and when he heard the sound of the door brushing against carpet, he turned around quickly. _

_ Warm relief thawed his icy veins when he saw Jack walk in, accompanied by a nun. The old woman shot Ralph a glance, and her face morphed into a mask of utter repugnance. Jack seemed oblivious to the woman's offensive facial expressions and took the chair next to Ralph. He granted the fair boy a smile, and peeked back at the nun carefully. The chorister motioned for Ralph to bring his head closer, and he did. _

_ "They're going to tear us apart." Jack whispered, just low enough so the horrid old woman wouldn't hear. "Ralph, I'm not going to loose you. At midnight, meet me in the clearing in the woods." He said, constantly looking back, to make sure none of his words were captured. "I promise that they won't separate us." Ralph brought his head away slowly. The blonde nodded and tugged down at his sleeves quietly. Then, Jack raised his voice, as if mocking the nun behind him. "I love you." He said proudly. Ralph caught the disgusted expression on the woman's face and (despite the terrible situation he was in) almost laughed. _

Ralph had no idea what Jack had in store for him. What were they going to do? Exchange phone numbers? Home addresses? Ralph looked at the watch again, the time was eleven fifty. He gathered his jumbled thoughts and crept to his door. Adults had been guarding it all day and, although he was sure it was in vein, Ralph prayed that no one would be waiting outside for him now.

His prayers, for now, were answered. As Ralph cracked open the thick door he was greeted with nothing but the millions of crucifixes that lined the stone walls. Ralph closed the door as quietly as he could, and almost sprinted down the hallways. He wanted to be out of Christ's stare. The marble eyes reminded him of where he was surely going when he died. _Hell. Because killing Simon wasn't enough. _

The cold air smacked Ralph in the face as he melted into the icy night atmosphere. The darkness intimidated him, and the towering trees didn't help. The black bare trunks reminded him of ugly images; images of beasts, savage boys, and haunting gifts to evil. Ralph shivered as the prickly wind licked at his exposed neck and cheeks. His footing was awkward through the thick foliage, and it seemed to take him years until he finally stepped into the damp clearing.

Jack was there, his read hair shining dully in the moonlight. The clearing was enchanting when the silver beams splashed onto the lush grass and danced up onto rough tree branches. The red head quickly embraced the blonde and bestowed light kisses on top of his head. Ralph nestled his face into Jack's chest, absorbing the boy's warmth. The two boys stood this way until something finally had to be said.

"What are we going to do?" Ralph asked, pulling away, but keeping his arms around Jack's lean waist. The chorister was silent for a very long time, and Ralph wondered if he even heard the question. Before the fair boy could repeat himself, Jack spoke.

"Run."

Everything became still. The grass stopped dancing in the icy wind, and the trees stopped waving their arms harmoniously. Ralph waited, but nothing else escaped the ginger's mouth.

"Are you mad?" He ripped his numb hands away from Jack's waist. "Are you suggesting we run away together?" Jack's eyes sparkled, which made Ralph cringe. He hadn't seen that look in Jack's eyes since…the island.

"Yes!" Jack said ecstatically. He grabbed Ralph and held him close to his body, an iron grip caging the boy in. "I've got a few pounds in the bank that my parents set up for me. Think of it Ralph! Just you and me! We could find jobs! We're healthy young boys, maybe work at a factory somewhere." Ralph tried to separate himself from the red head, but Jack held fast, clinging to Ralph eagerly. "We can do it. We're smart."

"Jack…" Ralph pressed his head against the boy's shoulder. His head had suddenly begun to ache. To run away with Jack…it was just nuts! "…you aren't thinking right. You know we can't run away."

"I've been thinking about this for a long time Ralph." Jack murmured, he placed a thin hand under Ralph's chin and brought the fair boy's gaze to meet his. "There are places for boys like us, I looked into it. We would have a place to stay until we saved up enough money…we wouldn't have to hide anymore." _He's been planning this, _the sick realization rung in Ralph's head like the bell at a funeral.

Ralph turned his head to the side to avoid a kiss meant to be planted onto his mouth. "How long have you—"

"After we kissed in the woods, I've been thinking about it." Jack said, shame nudging shyly at each word.

Ralph closed his eyes and rested his head against Jack's shoulder. He knew he couldn't function without this red headed chorister, whom at the right age of sixteen, could still pull off singing a C sharp. But, to run away? Did he really need Jack that much?

"Ralph—" The ginger's voice sliced through his mangled thoughts, "ultimately it's your decision." He let his iron grasp fall from Ralph's sides. "I can't force you to come with me. Either way, I'm going."

"Jack…"

"What's it going to be?" Worry was tense within Jack's blue eyes, and Ralph wanted to wipe it away. However, he wasn't certain he could. Jack was asking him the question that would definitively decide their fate. _Jack or…everything else? _

Ralph rubbed the bandage on his palm. He licked his lips, before giving Jack his answer…

**Really quick update before spring break! I'm leaving tomorrow and decided to squeeze in one more chapter! Well, see yah in two weeks! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Man it's good to be back home! I'm really happy to have my computer back! Sitting on the beach has given me A LOT of time to think of ideas. Sadly, this is the end for this fan fiction. And I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to those of you who constantly review, favorite my story, and add it to your alerts. This is only the second multi-chapter fan fiction I have ever written, and I never imagined it to become so popular. But, no worries! You won't have to be sad too long because I am planning a SEQUAL…so look out for that baby in the future. Until then, I might do a bunch of one-shots of other pairings, but it will be (of course!) Lord of the Flies. So, if you're ever in the mood for some LotF fan fiction, look me up, kay? **

**I'm also sorry to say that the end chapter IS short, but hey, I'm not going to drag out the ending because that would be a bit annoying. So, once again, thank you all so much, and I hope to see you in the future! **

***Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Lord of the Flies. **

**[Start]**

_"Mum? Daddy says that no matter what you want to do, you can do it; even if the whole world is standing in your way." An eight year-old fair child whispered, snuggling closer to his mother. He was tucked away in bed, ready to face the adventures of his dreams._

_ "Daddy's right Ralph, if you have a dream, you must follow it." His mother whispered, her blonde locks falling down and tickling the boy's face. _

_ "But, what if it's wrong?" _

_ "You'll know. You'll get a feeling, right in here," she poked at the child's soft belly and was rewarded with a giggle, "and it will tell you everything you need to know. Always follow that feeling." She planted a small kiss atop his head. "Good night love." _

An icy breeze slapped Ralph across the face, and he was wrenched away from that sweet memory. It was one of the few he still remembered before…

"I understand," a voice whispered, puffing minty smoke into the cold air, "it's a lot to ask I know. But, I can't stay in a place that won't accept me." Jack Merridew shuffled his feet, as if preparing to turn his back to Ralph, and never look back.

Fear seized Ralph and constricted his actions. The blonde's arm shot out, and with an embarrassing whimper, he clung to the red head's arm. Jack looked at him then, trying to hold back the relief that was prominent in his shocking blue eyes. _What's your gut telling you, _murmured a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother. If he was to go with Jack, would he ever see her again? Ralph dismissed the thought, and knew that he would never be able to return to that bloody school; not without Jack.

"I—" The fair boys' words caught in his throat and Jack pulled him in close.

"Really think about this Ralph. I don't want you to do anything that would make you unhappy." Jack said, his lips cold against Ralph's forehead.

"Jack—I—we don't have anything to bring…" Ralph mumbled, nuzzling his head into the crook of the chorister's neck where, he observed, it fit ever so perfectly.

"Is that a yes?" Jack inquired excitement thick in his tone; however it was trying to stay hidden.

Ralph pulled away suddenly, a frown etched onto his face. "It's not going to be some clichéd love story. Running away…we'll be hungry, homeless, and cold." The list could continue on for hours if Ralph bothered to think about it. Now, it was Jack who was reaching for Ralph's arm.

"I know. And, I told you, there are places for boys like us." He said quietly. "Ralph, I promise that I will _never _let you go hungry," he smiled faintly, "or cold." He edged closer to the blonde, and Ralph could feel his arms wind around him protectively. _This is so…, _Ralph thought bitterly, closing his eyes and inhaling Jack's scent. It really didn't take that much thought at all really. The better option was clearly to leave with Jack. What would he possibly do if he went back? Face his parents about the shameful sins he had committed? Get sent to some institution and labeled as mad? No, that would definitely not do.

"You've got to promise me another thing." Ralph said.

"What is it?"

"That you'll never leave me." The blonde flushed, he felt a bit girly saying that, and cursed himself inwardly, but Jack's response satisfied him when he felt those cold lips press against his cheek.

"Oh God Ralph…I don't think I could."

Ralph pulled his face away from Jack's shoulder and captured the chorister's mouth with his own. He could feel Jack's slender hand rub up and down his back soothingly. Jack's tongue was granted permission into Ralph's mouth and shortly both were making faint noises in response to the thick ecstasy. Soon…to soon…oxygen was needed, and Ralph pulled away from the kiss. He could feel Jack's heavy breath coat his face with the over whelming scent of mint.

"You're perfect." Jack murmured breathlessly, and took the smaller boy into an embrace. Slightly embarrassed, Ralph shook his head, but Jack quieted him. "No really, all of you, even your slices and scars."

"You sound like such a sap." Ralph muttered, a faint smile tugging the corners of his lips. Jack raised a light eye brow and smirked.

"You like it though." He said, and brought himself away from Ralph. Ralph watched as Jack took his damaged hand theatrically and knelt on the ground. "Shall we go then my prince?" He said in a posh accent.

Ralph glanced back through the trees, in the general direction of the school. Piggy's specs were still on his pillow. For a moment, he looked worried, but then a voice glazed itself smoothly over his inner predicament. _Piggy's fine now Ralph. It's time to let go. _The blonde turned back to meet Jack's gaze. The red head was still kneeling in the damp grass expectantly, his gaze like blue fire, glowing and slicing the night air. "Yes," Ralph smiled sincerely, "we shall."

Jack kissed the back of Ralph's hand and stood up. The two boys smiled at each other for a long moment, before Jack finally decided to lead Ralph away. And, presently, Ralph felt that tug in his gut that told him everything was going to be okay. Because he was with Jack, right where he was supposed to be.

**[The End] **


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